The Darkest Shadows
by NoLabelBWYWB
Summary: After a simple Manticore attack gone wrong, Nico and Percy find themselves on different sides of the world. Nico, fighting in a war he doesn't belong in with allies he's never known, and Percy looking everywhere to find him, even with forces unknown trying to tear them apart. You can create your own ships if you squint and tilt your head to a certain angle, but no slash. *COMPLETE*
1. Prologue

Prologue

Nico POV

He was going to kill Percy when he got back.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

The Manticore was hot on Nico's trail and Percy seemed to have turned tail and ran. Even with a Manticore behind him and his ally long gone, Nico couldn't help but feel annoyed. Sure, he knew that the whole "monster attacks at the most inconvenient times" thing was in the demigod job description, but really? He was outside McDonald's for Hera's sake!

Nico could still feel the beast behind him. He took a deep breath and with a silent prayer to Hades, made a sharp turn…

And met with a brick wall. Curse his luck!

The Manticore calmly strode into the compact alleyway, a sly smile on its humanoid face. It had already caught its prey.

Nico did a quick search of his surroundings, looking for any shadow he could hitch a ride in.

There was none. Unless…

Nico ran full speed at the Manticore and launched over it, hoping to the gods he didn't get stung by its spiky tail. He landed roughly onto its smooth stinger, identical to one of a scorpion. The appendage swung as the Manticore tried to throw him from its body. Working quickly, Nico found his grip and sliced off the flailing extremity with one of his stygian iron knives. All the while ignoring the angry screams of pain from the Manticore, Nico wielded the crudely cut off stinger as a spear and pierced the creature in its back. With a final scream of pain, the Manticore fell limply to the pavement before crumbling to dust.

With the adrenaline in his system gone, Nico slumped tiredly on the redbrick wall behind him. He mentally checked himself over for any wounds, but felt nothing but a bruised bum from his harsh landing on the Manticore's back. His backpack was left a few feet away so he stood to retrieve it along with a single square of ambrosia. Chewing slowly, he thought of how exactly he should get home. He couldn't quite make the full trip to Long Island from his place in Seattle with the state he was in, so New Rome it is.

He was prepared to depart when suddenly felt a crippling wave of death. Nico staggered and tried to pinpoint where such a strong feeling of death could be coming from. Although he readjusted quickly to the feeling, being the son of Hades, Nico was still left with a slight sense of dysphoria from the sheer surprise of the feeling.

The curiosity he felt was overwhelming. No being with the exception of Thanatos and his father had the power to exude such a feeling of death at will. Unless he was dealing with a particularly restless Lemure, no mortal _living_ could be capable of that kind of aura.

Going against all sense of logic and every fiber of his being telling him to get the Hades out of there, Nico reached out to the shadows and told them to lead him to whomever or better yet _whatever_ was giving off that vibe.

 _THIS_ _IS A LINE_

London?

Nico turned slowly in a full circle, keeping an eye out for danger. How he possibly made it to _London_ when he just barely had the energy to get to San Francisco, he had no idea.

He reached out and tapped into his powers as the son of Hades to comb the nearby city for any sort of dark energy. It took a while but he found it, within the almost invisible space between numbers 11 and 13 on the apartment buildings.

Nico isn't in any way a suspicious person, but a feeling if death was rolling off the building in _waves_. He inched closer to the immensely small gap, and pushed his knife inside.

It was repelled with a crack, an invisible force pushing him back.

Nico was shocked but still too stubbornly angry to give in. With the remaining bit of reserved energy, Nico surged forward, the shadows ahead of him seeming to rip apart the invisible force between the buildings.

Slowly but surely, the two structures pulled apart from each other as another third building appeared.

It was identical in size and shape to the two next to it, but seemed older, with blackened bricks and dusty windows. For a second Nico could've sworn he saw something in the window, but a quick blink and it disappeared. Satisfied that the shadows cleared away the shield around the building, Nico tried once again to reach out and shadow travel inside. As the shadows surrounded him a pulled him in, he hoped to gods there was no alarm.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

 ** _I don't actually know if a manticore can be killed with its own poison, but just ignore that if you can. Also if there are some things that you want to see specifically, just comment your request and I will try to make it happen. BYEEE_**

 ** _-ghostking_**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hopefully I will be able to stay on time and update every Thursday, but if I don't, please don't get mad in the comments, because I will probably update either Friday or Saturday.**

Chapter 1

Harry POV

At this point in his life, Harry really doubted his life could take a worse turn.

Not only did he have to watch Cedric die in front of his eyes, but not a soul even remotely believed him when he swore he saw Voldemort come back. And as if that wasn't enough, almost every newspaper writes him as a lying attention grabber willing to use the bloody Dark Lord as a marketing ploy, and some like the daily prophet, even going far enough to imply _he_ killed Cedric!

Harry didn't even want to think about the hearing coming up in due time. Along with that and the Ministry's plan to expel Harry from Hogwarts, Dudley was probably still in his catatonic state after the attack that was practically his fault. But at times he finds himself admitting it was better being cooped up in Number 12 Grimmauld Place than Dudley breathing down his neck every time he had a nightmare at "home".

His thoughts of where he would go from here were interrupted by a hesitant knock at the dusty door adjacent to his bed. The door widened before stopping to the point where Harry could see two figures, one slightly taller, and one in front. He could easily tell it was Hermione and Ron; as if the bushy head of hair in front of him wasn't a clue.

"Harry… they're having a meeting downstairs. I-I think they caught one, a Death Eater I mean," Hermione informed tentatively.

Harry's eyes widened as he looked to Ron for confirmation only to meet with a look of grim acceptance on his freckled face.

"They couldn't have…" Not that Harry doubted the skill of the many Aurors of the side of The Order of The Phoenix, but for them to actually bring a Death Eater _here_ was another story entirely. Because not only did that mean they went against orders from the Ministry, but they could have possibly compromised the location of The Order!

Ron and Hermione shared a furtive glance, a long silence in between them and Harry.

He knew they were hiding something.

"Ron…," Harry goaded, knowing Ron could never keep a secret for long. "Have you seen the Death Eater by any chance?"

"I haven't the slightest idea how he looks mate."

"Who said it was a he, Ron?"

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"So what you're saying is that Voldemort- the almighty Dark Lord, correct me if I'm wrong, is now recruiting thirteen year olds?" Harry stage whispered to the Weasley twin currently squatting at the stairs in hopes of hearing anything with their extendable ears.

"No Harry, what we are saying is that they have not a sense of he got past the charms Dumbledore put up, let alone the ones Sirius's father put up year's before," Fred said, a playful smile on his face.

"We heard from Mum that the spell was in tatters when McGonagall came by," George said, nodding to himself as he spoke his sage remarks.

"Not heard but more like overheard," Ginny said briefly, walking past them without a second glance.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico POV

Nico yawned greatly, his mouth a gaping hole that put dogs to shame. He was still tired from the overexertion he put himself through with making those jumps that probably landed him in some stranger's home.

But that was only part of the problem.

The thing that ended him up in some stranger's house was the fact that they didn't _feel_ like some stranger. Their aura was of someone who cheated death, who somehow snuck past Thanatos's seeking glare. And Nico was drawn to it.

So the only question was… how?

He could sense it here, but where exactly was here? He could see he was in some sort of impromptu bedroom, looking by the way everything seemed hastily put together. The house looked old, which led Nico to assuming he made it to the destination he expected, seeing as it was old and seedy, like some motel from the seventies that no one had the heart to tear down because of its "sentimental value". The wallpaper was plain, a dreary beige one with stripes that was clearly well worn and peeling. Every piece of furniture in the room was small and antique looking, all crammed somewhere in the small room. The ornate chest of drawers was getting real intimate with the bed, practically on top of the thing, gods be dammed.

With the obvious disrepair of this room alone, Nico let his hoped grow quite a bit, wishing to himself that no one actually lived here.

But those were immediately dashed when he sensed it again. That feeling that just wouldn't go away, the feeling of death that just filled him with injustice every time.

If only Bianca got a second chance? If only Thanatos looked right past her- even only once, she would still be here, she would've deceived Death.

It was this injustice that swelled inside of him, filling his every pore and granting him no escape from the blowup that was bound to happen.

He swung open the door with such force the knob left a hairline fracture where it connected to the wall. Once he readjusted himself to the lighting in the hallway, his eyes automatically zeroed in on a boy roughly his age, judging from his shorter stature. Nico ignored the fact that he looked terrified and lunged, seeing red the whole time.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry POV

Shortly after badgering the particulars from Fred and George, Harry slowly made his way up the stairs, mulling over the new information he gained in his head. He was, at this time, just going through the motions, thinking with vigor, while all the same not really thinking at all.

As he walked past the small storage room that was transformed into a bedroom for the would-be interrogated.

No one seemed to know why he wouldn't wake up, no matter how many times Mrs. Weasley tried to use the _rennervate_ charm on the boy's figure. At some point they gave up and decided hold off the questioning until he woke up. Even after the sun went down and the moon arose, the boy didn't stir.

Harry, after seeing the boy's pale face and still body, he assumed immediately that he was dead. But with a closer look he could tell that his chest still rose and fell, albeit scraping the bare minimum quite a bit. He wondered about him. Was his family working for Voldemort also? Or was he being blackmailed by the Death Eater's leader?

A door slammed open behind him and he quickly swiveled around to see the person he least expected to be up and running anytime soon glaring at him with a promise of death in his eyes, the animalistic stare terrifying Harry to the bone.

 _He's looking right at you. Call for help Harry, the adults can handle this!_ He heard his father's voice urge.

But it seemed like his feet were glued to the floor and he found himself helplessly pinned to the boy's pitch black orbs like a butterfly to frame.

The boy charged at him like a bull, and all hell broke loose.

 **HEEEYY sorry about the cliffhanger, but don't worry, I will (gods hope), I will update on Thursday. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. BYEEEE**

 **-ghostking**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Sorry about not updating on Thursday, hopefully it wasn't that much of a wait. I had SO much homework this week so I guess this chapter makes up for it? Depending on my school and family schedule, I can't guarantee that I will update on time every week, but I will ALWAYS(?) update within that week. Enjoy this chapter and bear with me if you find any grammar mistakes._**

Percy POV

If Percy didn't know any better, he would've thought he was high.

Not only for the fact that he would never think about getting high with the constant threat of monsters on his ass, but his mom _and_ Paul would kill him and burn his remains as an offering for Ares.

No, Percy wasn't high, but at the same time he was. What he was high on, he didn't know.

It was a pleasant feeling though. He suddenly had a revelation.

He didn't have to worry about monsters! They were irrelevant now that Percy has survived two wars and played an active part in them. No worries about monsters, so why was he worried.

Percy frowned slightly; confused as of why he worried when he was obviously safe from monsters. He started on a mental checklist.

His family was safe? Yes.

He was safe? Yes.

His friends were safe at camp? Yes?

Huh? Percy didn't understand. He knew his friends were safe. Right?

Annabeth, Nico, Hazel, Jason, Leo, Frank, Piper- Nico?

Nico.

Percy's frown deepened. Wasn't he just with Nico? If he was just with Nico then he must be okay. Nico was okay, the calm he felt proved it. Percy knew that he wouldn't be this calm if Nico _wasn't_ okay.

Then why was he calm?

A slight twinge of panic poked at the edges of his mind, making even more confused than he already was.

He couldn't handle the doubt anymore; He had an Iris Message to make.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry POV

Harry braced himself as Hermione pointed her wand at him.

"Episky", Hermione enunciated clearly. Harry flinched as the beam of light hit him square in the face, mending his battered face and relaxing his body with its healing. The endorphins in his body kept him a bit shaky, but his split lip, broken nose, and bruised body were now gone so he guesses it's worth it.

He didn't know why that boy shook him so much. The animalistic glare and wild dark eyes seemed to be ingrained in his mind- at least for the time being. But a little part of Harry knew that that wasn't the reason the boy had him so spooked. No, it wasn't the glare, or the dark eyes, it was death. The boy had death on him and Harry could feel it, it made his scar hurt and reeked of suspicion. Suspicious of how the boy appeared out of nowhere and bypassed the Fidelius charm without setting of the numerous charms and curses poised to catch intruders and invaders. And mostly of the boy himself. How when he slept he appeared to be dead, the way he seemed to breathe without actually having to breathe. Yes, Harry was quite suspicious of the boy.

He fought weird too. He didn't even look like he was going for a wand when he attacked Harry, and they found no wand on him when he passed out. Only a short pitch black sword that had given off the same feeling its master had. It was wicked sharp, with weird symbols and pictures carved and seared into it. They learned the hard way that the blade wasn't to be touched when Lupin tried to retrieve it from the scabbard to examine it, and got burned quite badly. But they learned that although touching the leather wrappings on the grip of the sword was safe to touch, any part of metal on the blade left exposed was quite painful to make contact with. At this point everyone was on high alert, even Fred and George, who usually don't take any threat seriously.

Harry looked on as Mrs. Weasley called in the cavalry.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Annabeth frowned at Percy, reaching to cradle his head in her palm, checking for a fever.

He swatted her hand away for the second time, letting loose an exasperated sigh before speaking. "Annabeth, for the last time, I'm not crazy. I'm telling you I was with Nico one minute, in Central Park the next. I don't even remember Iris Messaging you." Percy's eyes widened truthfully at his last sentence, hands raised in surrender.

His confession only proved to make Annabeth more worried.

"You don't think this is another one of Hera's big plans do you? Because if it is, I swear on her _stupid_ cows we're moving to Alaska!"

" _No_ we're not"

Annabeth set her chin defiantly. "If the need arises."

"I thought I was the one who came up with the dumb plans, Wise Girl." Annabeth visibly sagged.

"It's not that it's just..." she moved closer and wrapped her tanned arms around his neck. "It's just… I don't want to lose you again. I can't bear it" Percy leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her golden hair.

"Don't worry about me Annabeth. Worry about yourself because," Percy slowly unwrapped her arms from him and shrugged, "You're kinda stuck with me."

She giggled quietly before wiping the mist from her eyes and putting her game face on.

"Okay, let's find Nico"

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico woke groggily, trying to recount what happened to him over the splitting headache going over him. His eyes swiveled around to his surroundings as everything came back to him.

 _Nico mercilessly threw punch after punch at the boy, the_ monster _under him. He pronounced each injury in his head as he created it, letting loose his frustrations on this boy. The one who could've taken away Bianca's chance. A small, detached part of him reasoned that this kid most likely had no idea who the fuck Bianca was, and what she stood for in Nico's life. But only a little part of him had logic at point. Nico smiled, thinking he must look like a savage. To any passerby looking on would see his crazed eyes, hear his animalistic grunts and growls, watch the way he sat hunched over on his prey's chest, delivering blow after blow and taking delight into every groan or flinch made. He felt his powers being let loose subconsciously, not giving it the slightest bit of attention, having completely lost control on this boy- this innocent._

 _The thought made him pause slightly. His fists lowered and Nico stood, taking a step back in the same motion._

 _Nico refused to become this. To conform to the trait all children of Hades had inside them, some just on the surface, some on the depths of their being._

 _Madness. Insanity. Bianca would be disappointed in him._

 _He stumbled away from the unconscious form on the ground and prepared to shadow travel away. Nico was only a mere foot away from the closest shadow when a throng of weirdly-dressed individuals came around the corner, a stout women leading the mob._

 _She stopped and looked down at the still figure near him, then up at Nico himself, seeming to get even more enraged if possibly._

 _Nico feebly clawed at his empty scabbard as she pointed a long, knobby stick at him and screamed something incoherent at him. He froze, confused as a bright light shot at him, knocking the wind out of him as its stunning force knocked him over and out._

 _FLASHBACK OVER_

Nico groaned aloud, the anger he held towards himself clear. He almost lost full control back there, and for what, to teach a lesson to some kid so that the gods damned brat would stay dead!

He stiffened as he heard the thrum of many footsteps, the wooden stairs behind him creaking for their overuse and overall quantity of its occupants. The same flock of people came to a stop in front of him, minus the many gingers he saw the first time he came in contact with this particular swarm of hippies.

Or at least that's what Nico assumed they were, what with the many tasseled- vests, and long robes complimenting the weirdly-shaped sticks they pointed at him with a renewed vigor. Although he didn't know what the Hades they were, he still stayed weary of them, learning first-hand what damage they could do. Nico was _not_ planning to pass out three times in one day. Even _he_ had a reputation to withhold!

The quiet murmurs of the people in ahead of him were silenced by a single throat being cleared. A rugged looking man stepped forward, moving with a slight limp and leaning onto a worn cane seemingly carved straight from a tree.

Nico ogled the man shamelessly, noticing as he got closer to him that the man's face was riddled with deep scar and ridges. Even his _eye_ was artificial, kept close to his features by leather band that went around his head. So intent on his staring, Nico was caught off guard when the scar-faced man spoke up, his voice fitting for his gruff exterior.

"Let's get through the introductions now why don't we, boy" The man's synthetic eye swiveling towards Nico with a soft whizzing sound.

"The name's Moody. And you kid, are now in for one hell of a questioning."

Nico groaned for the second time that day.

 **For any of you who don't really understand what went on in the start of the chapter, let me tell you: Percy was under the Imperius curse. I'm not sure I wrote this chapter this well. (Sad that I already am writing filler chapters isn't it?) Any who, please review if you can and thank you for reading! BYEEEEE**

 **-ghostking**


	4. Chapter 3

_**Sorry about the wait, for those of you who are actually reading these crappy chapters. (Thanks by he way), but yeah, I had a lot of school work to get done along the many chore my family has bestowed upon me. So yeah, enjoy this chapter?**_

Nico refused to let himself believe that all of this had happened in one day.

Just to recap: he was attacked by a fucking manticore; shadow traveled to some creepy ass house, beat the hell out of some death-smelling monster, and is now being held for questioning by some hippy-ass stick people! If that wasn't the subject of his nightmares, he doesn't know what is! And as if that isn't bad enough, Percy doesn't seem to be of any help at the moment, seeing as he's not even here!

Nico took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Losing hold of his emotions wouldn't do anything for him, especially if he doesn't have the slightest idea who the Hades these people are, and what they want from him. But the fact that they didn't kill him on sight after hurting their one of their people was a plus. Nico, seeing as he had nothing left to lose, glared up at the man standing immediately in front of him and turned his death glare to maximum, hoping to intimidate him a bit before the whole interrogation began.

His grisly face didn't so much as flinch, even as his companions gasped and sworn. This in itself made Nico all the more determined to force the man to show an emotion other than the ones he willingly did. But for now he would cooperate. He let loose an extremely exaggerated sigh before speaking.

"Ok then… what do you want to know?"

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"He was like an animal, I-I mean, when I looked at him, his eyes were pitch black- like a demon's," Harry explained carefully, all the while trying not to worry his friends too much. "Just can't believe Voldemort's recruiting Death Eaters this young is all."

"Why are you surprised Harry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has killed enough people to make up a large army and _this_ is what strikes you as immoral?" Hermione's strong reasoning made Harry question _why_ the mere thought of that boy working for Voldemort made him feel so _dirty_ and evil.

"I don't know, it's just different," Harry said weakly, knowing that his side of this discussion was slowly but surely becoming more and more senseless.

"It's just a feeling I'm getting, it's like out of all people, he just _can't_ be on Voldemort's side, he- he just _can't_ " Hermione and Ron gave Harry a weird look at his current antics.

"Harry…" Hermione started slowly, "why are you so adamant about this kid. We don't know him, so why should whether or not he was naïve enough to become a Death Eater have anything to do with us or you?" She finished her ever-so-present logic with a sympathetic look at Harry, as if he didn't know what was going on or looked like he was some stupid kid caught up in the middle of this bloody war that should've had no part in!

"I don't _know_ alright!" He finished loudly, the frustration he felt seeming to boil up until the point where he couldn't handle it anymore. He stood suddenly and turned his back, he needed air. "I'm going to speak with Sirius now, you should both stay here." Harry slammed the door close with more force than necessary.

Harry quietly crept past Fred and George, not wanting to interrupt the current questioning going on in the living room.

He knew that he would have to apologize to Hermione and Ron later for blowing up at them, but at the moment, he had bigger fish to fry.

On his way over to the kitchen, he took a quick glimpse into the living room, just to check for Sirius, but instead met eyes with just the boy he was planning on avoiding.

The dark haired, dark eyed boy met his eyes and spoke with conviction.

"Nico di Angelo"

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"Nico di Angelo"

Nico let loose those words knowing full well the eyes of the boy behind the staircase had his eyes locked onto him. But as soon as their eyes met, he retreated into the kitchen.

He sighed; the only source of conversation now was only possible with the wild-eyed man in front of him.

"di Angelo huh, never heard of your family before, who're your parents, boy?" Nico rolled his eyes. He'd rather go another round with the manticore from earlier than give up that information and risk the wrath of his father.

"Both of my parents are dead, _sir_ ," Nico said, albeit sarcastically.

"Let me rephrase my question then. 'Who were your parents', I don't give a dementor's ass whether your parent are dead or alive, _kid,_ " The man retorted coldly. Nico's eyes widened marginally, before returning to their normal state as the main accessory in his death glare. Two can play that game.

"Well, I'm sorry Mr. Leatherface sir, but they died when I was a young boy, have no idea who they are," _Your turn asshole._

"Why you!-"

Nico got the desired effect from the man as he pointed a gnarled stick at his face, anger clear on his face. He stared him down head on, something about this man making him feel stubborn and reckless, despite every other part of him telling him that this man was not to be messed with. He didn't realize when he turned into Percy, but it was an ok feeling, albeit more likely to get him killed than his normal personality.

"Alastor Moody! I do not care if this boy is not a student of Hogwarts, he is a child and I will not allow you to hex him!" A stern looking woman stood in the path of the man's wand, enunciating his name as she scolded him.

She turned her head to reprimand him, a sigh escaping her lips when she saw just how defiant he was willing to become if need be. The woman turned back to the man- Alastor Moody, and put down his wand with a single finger, her aura practically soaked with authority.

"Alastor, send a patronus to Albus, he will need to hear about this. The child here is not your ordinary wizard," she said, turning back to Nico to send him a look speaking in volumes: _you put this upon yourself._

"What then?" Moody questioned.

"Then, we wait."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Percy slammed his fist in the wall nearest to him in frustration.

That was the fifth Iris message he made to Nico and his pile of drachmas was weaning fast.

Annabeth was losing faith in Percy's constant insistence that Nico was alive and Chiron seemed to know nothing about how Nico could disappear without a trace. As if that wasn't enough, even godsdamned Hades wasn't answering his prayers!

It seemed like no one gave a flying fuck that Nico was missing, content with the fact that he has disappeared into thin air before. But Percy couldn't possibly go on living like Nico was fine when he knew clear as day that he wasn't. This wasn't anything like Nico's usual sudden and silent getaways, because even then, he would've let someone know that he was leaving, and he would especially come back to camp after being attacked by a freakin' manticore!

Percy ran an angry hand through his hair as he helplessly gazed at the Poseidon fountain in his desolate cabin. His dad couldn't be of any help at the moment, only Percy could, even if he would be alone on his endeavor.

But should Percy really bring Nico back to a place where he isn't wanted?

 **YAY! Another chapter done. I'm sorry for those of you who think the story is moving quite slowly. I hope that once we start the fifth year, the story will start moving along nicely, (with hopefully longer chapters). Anywhoo, BYYYEEE and please review!**

 **-ghostking**


	5. Chapter 4

" _The boy was meant to come to me!" Her lord paced angrily, long fingers itching to hex the idiotic subordinates behind him. She slithered behind him, eager to calm her master with her presence._

" _My lord," she curled her lips up in disgust as the disgusting rat of a man kneeled before her master. Pettigrew the dirty mouse he was didn't even grace the ground her lord spat on, the insolent fool._

" _We brought him to Britain- we truly did- but the boy was drawn towards him!" The filth in front of her maker groveled at his clothes pitifully, knowing the punishment that would be brought by his actions. She would be happy would her master finally disposed of this useless oaf for good. Although she knew he wouldn't do it himself and most definitely would just feed him to her. Yes, this man was a goner. The thought of him sliding down her throat for his final breath, kicking and screaming, graced her scaled face with a smile._

" _Kill his family; kill his friends_ I don't care! _Bring him to me, no matter the lives lost: he will be mine!"_

Harry heaved air into his lungs, the burning feeling of his scar making breathing difficult. The little bits and pieces of his dream making their way past behind his eyes; replaying themselves over and over like a broken record. He tried to calm his breathing, not wanting to wake everyone in the house with his panicking. When his exhales evened out and his heart was calm, Harry stilled, listening to the sound of the house. He hoped he didn't wake anyone up; they all needed the rest, what with the stress the week's events had brought. It all happened so fast that no one really had time to blink and think about it.

Harry ran a tired hand through his hair, even the trial ran past him, the whole hearing business too much for his muddled brain at the moment. Heck, he was still shocked that the charges against him were cleared. He expected worse; especially with the way Fudge was working the Wizengamot to expel him from Hogwarts. Even that alone made his head spin. _Expelled from Hogwarts_ \- he couldn't imagine living his life like that. Harry would probably just stay at home with Sirius all day, hoping he could go back to playing Quidditch and attending Charms with Ron and 'Mione.

And now he was going back. First of September he would be packing his chest to head back to station nine and three quarters.

But this year would be different. Harry would have to face this year's term with the disapproving looks of the students and parents who didn't want to be near the boy-who- _lied_. He released a mirthless laugh. Harry knew how he used to hate it when people always treated him like a celebrity the moment they saw the scar, but even that was better than the looks of barely hidden contempt on their faces. Like he _wanted_ to constantly be the target of the ever-present Voldemort. He didn't want this friends and family to have to live in fear of Voldemort swooping in to find Harry like it was the common mid-morning tea time!

But whatever, at least it's not like he can say his life is boring. He wouldn't want that either.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico cringed as the sunlight filtered onto his face. He was in a room with way to much white. And light.

This was definitely not his room. His room wouldn't betray him like this. Unless Percy snuck into his room at some ungodly hour and opened all of the blinds. Which he doubts, judging by the smell of food wafting over to his nose. He knows the dining pavilion is farthest away from his cabin so he couldn't be smelling it from here. This could either mean two things: 1) Percy snuck into his room at some ungodly hour and left food, knowing he wouldn't go to the pavilion himself to eat, _or_ 2)-what he was slowly convincing himself of ever since that evil ray of sunshine hit his face. He was still in the same room he was in for the past four days. The only upside of this was that the bathroom was connected to the room. But he would still have to get up for other thing such as water; food didn't bother him- he wasn't hungry anyways.

His sword was still locked up somewhere in this house, along with the various knives and his single vial of gorgon blood he'd been saving in case of emergency. So he was basically a sitting duck in a place where people garnished sticks as weapons and spoke weird spells that he'd only heard Hecate kids use around camp. What confused him though was the way they treated him like he was some weird distant relative that popped by without calling ahead. They fed him (or at least tried to, Nico would never eat) and gave him a room to sleep in. But Nico wasn't fooled; he knew they wouldn't just let him leave with a Tupperware filled with cookies and a wave good bye. He was a prisoner here.

Today was different though, there was a scuttling of footsteps every minute and the usual slow and heavy atmosphere that was adopted since Nico decided to pop in was a distant memory. He overheard the excited whisperings of the house's occupants as they scampered around the house. Nico, curiosity peaked, slowly opened his eyes and slinked over to the door. Taking a deep breath, he twisted the knob of the door before opening it as slowly as he could; his hand on the door jamb to keep him from opening the door too unsteadily. Sticking his head out from the slightly ajar door, Nico peeked out to see what was going on just outside his room. What he saw before him was chaos. A number of half-dressed individuals all running about the small upstairs hallway, either trying to gather the rest of their clothes into large suitcases- chests- or finding ways to stuff even more food into their mouths, all the while keeping up their constant banter and whisperings. Nico only saw flashes from the extremely unorganized people. Feathers flying from gods know where and extremely long jackets being thrown on with haste. Just as Nico was about to claw his own eyes out from the frustration of watching these people get ready for whatever the fuck they were getting ready for, the same woman that zapped him with her twig the other day was zooming all over the place before noticing him. Her eyes seemed to zero in on him before she started walking determinedly at him, determination set in her posture. Nico immediately remembered that last time she looked at him like that and quickly tried to retreat into the room, and hopefully lose her interest eventually. Unfortunately for Nico, she was not deterred easily. Without a single word of warning, she barged into the closed off space with a sweet smile on her face. If anything, that made him distrust her even more than he did after their last meeting. She quickly advanced towards him, pulling a long black robe seemingly out of her ass, and handing it to him. Nico once again looked at her with confusion.

"What are these for?" He questioned, automatically assuming they were for a funeral. Why else would someone wear these, they were obviously mourner's clothes. But why would they be so excited to go to a funeral? He'll just assume they get weirder from there. Either way, during his inspection of the robes, what she responded with didn't resonate with him very well.

"Why, there for school of course," the woman said smiling like he should be jumping up and down at her words.

"I'm sorry Miss…?" Nico left his sentence hanging for he to fill in the blanks.

"Weasley, but you can call me Molly," She finished, giving him an understanding nod, like he was some little kid just learning how to sound out words.

"Well, I'm sorry Ms. Weasley, but you see I'm already enrolled in a school so I'll just be on my way," Nico said, sliding past her and to the door as he spoke.

"Uh uh, not so fast mister," Ms. Weasley stopped him, hands on her hips. "You won't be going to any school the way you are. With no wand _or_ books; now what kind of school is that?"

Nico internally scratched his head. _Wand?_

"And what school would I be attending if I were to throw on these robes and hop onto the school bus with all the others?" Nico responded sarcastically.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, of course. There are no other magic schools in London other than Hogwarts," Molly said, an exasperated look on her face. "So get dressed and stop pulling on my leg. The iron horse leaves at 11 you know!" She said, wafting out of the room.

Nico was left in his room for exactly thirty seconds before she poked her head back into the room

"Right! Nico honey," Molly called from where she stood. "Ask Harry to go with you to collect your school supplies once you get settled into the school. Don't forget to tell him, OK?" the door closed shut before he could respond.

Now, finally left alone, Nico threw on the cloak on top of his already over-worn skull tee. At least the cloak was black.

Twisting on his skull rings, Nico looked around the room to guarantee he didn't leave anything behind. Not that he had anything on him to begin with. Nico threw open his door and was halfway to the stairs when he realized that it was quiet. Guess he was the last on to get ready. A little part of him wished to the gods they left him behind.

But that was quickly crushed when he heard small talk downstairs. From what he was overhearing, he heard the usual talk of who they were going to say hi to first once they got there and yadayadayada. Dam, Nico really did have a short attention span.

 _THIS_ _IS A LINE_

"So what you're saying is you want me to walk _through_ this here block of cement and bricks?" Nico said disbelievingly, his usual cynicism on his tongue as he looked at the many redheads in front of him. He could tell they were wary of him but really? They wanted him to walk into a wall?

"You don't have to walk. We usually run through it, don't we George?" Frank or whatever his name was said. Nico really couldn't trust those two. They walked and talked like Connor and Travis minus the British accents so yeah, would you blame him?

"Yep, every time," George said with the same stupid smirk on his face as his brother.

"Well if you two are so gung ho about running through walls, go ahead, I'll wait here with a non-bashed- in head, thank you very much," Nico snapped back at them.

He watched as they lined up their carts with the brick wall, mirth still alive and well on their faces. Nico scoffed quietly, these guys just wouldn't give in and say they were wrong would they? As they ran forward at top speed, Nico turned his head away last minute, not too eager to be seeing brain matter this early in the morning. After a few seconds of not hearing any pained groans or clattering carts, Nico brought himself to crack one eye open.

They were gone.

Nico first and foremost looked around, thinking that they swerved last minute and ended up on the floor somewhere. He couldn't see them anywhere.

 _They couldn't have_.

Now Nico was sure he was losing it. Either they decided last minute to ditch him or they were also shadow travelers. A bit angry now, Nico walked up to the brick column, fully intending to give it a piece of his mind.

Or at least that was what he would've done if his hand hadn't passed right through the wall.

For a split second, Nico freaked, worried he was fading again, before realizing that he could just pull his hand right out and have it solid as ever. Nico stuck his hand back into the wall slowly, feeling no resistance: like the wall was never there to begin with. Like it was a trick of the mist. He was warming up to the idea of something familiar here, when he felt a hand grab his and pull him in. Tumbling forward with the same momentum as the one used to pull him in, Nico slipped into the wall.

And to this day, he will forever refuse that he was the one to make that squeaking noise.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

" _My Lord, I have seen and heard many things when I left your presence," Pettigrew said. To her distaste, he was still not on the menu for he, but she made due will the other halfwits her master fed her._

" _And? Speak you fool!" Her master bellowed out, having reached the end of his patience whenever he speaks with this fool._

" _And I have discovered he is on his way to that wretched school. With the boy," Pettigrew finished fearfully, knowing how angry He would be at the news._

 _He was rewarded with the same reaction he expected of his Lord when He grabbed his wand and shot out a burst of eerie green light into the sky with his wand._

" _Aggh!" The Dark Lord bellowed out._

 _She knew how much it pained her master to not have the boy in her clutches, but she also knew that he wouldn't be long. They never were._

 _Her maker always got what he wanted. As did she._

 ** _YAY! I finally got a longer chapter done for you guys out there (that I can count on one hand). I think I might have to change my updating day to Sunday, Just because of the sheer amount of work I have to get done, and Sundays are my easier days. Sorry to those of you who Thursday is more convenient. Anywhoo, please give me feedback and or requests, I have finally got this whole plot thing going, and if you have anything you might want to see added in, now's the time. Also sorry for any spelling mistakes, they are all on me :(. BYEEEE_**

 ** _-ghostking_**


	6. Chapter 5

**I'm just gonna start out this by saying that this is a very short chapter. A short, _LATE_ chapter mind you. and I'm sorry for that but I caught a bug at school and have been pretty bedridden all weekend. (A great way to spend my three-day weekend, I know). But yeah was sick all weekend, and I couldn't really get to my computer to finish up my chapter, and looking at my laptop made me sick, so I decided that it would be better to post a short chapter than nothing at all- so here I am. This is basically half of the chapter that I wanted to post, so yeah... sorry?**

Percy POV

Percy tumbled out of bed, determined to reach the Big House before the camp activities started and Chiron had to supervise the younger campers. With that in mind, Percy hurriedly got dressed, and was out the door in a flash.

For a second he allowed his mind to drift, to think about his cousin. And no matter how much Percy wanted to believe that Nico was someplace in China, enjoying the sights and relaxing after the whole manticore scare, he knew it was anything but.

His thoughts snapped to his other predicament when he neared his destination.

The Big House was just as he remembered the first time he saw it. When he was the scared, confused little boy that just wanted to find out the truth of his crappy life. The same deck, same baby blue paint. Percy hopped up onto the steps of the deck and rapped twice on the door.

Not awaiting an answer, Percy opened the door and within two steps stood in Chiron's sights.

"Percy?" The sage centaur questioned. "What are you doing up this early? You usually aren't up until you smell the food," Chiron said, straight-faced.

Percy knew Chiron was only kidding so he didn't feel the least bit offended. Especially since it was true. Speaking of which, his stomach twinged at the thought of food, but he tried not to get distracted.

He squared his shoulders and reined in his urgency.

"I came to ask for a quest."

Chiron's eyebrows rose along with his usual librarian look shot at him.

"Percy you need to listen. Now I know you see Nico as a friend- a brother even, and you feel the need to take care of him; but he can care for himself. And believe me when I say that he's _fine_ ," The last word was said with more force but seemingly less certainty.

"Would," Percy paused, unsure if it would be wise to finish his thought. "Would it be wrong to-after all this time- say that I don't?" Percy straightened out, gathering more confidence as he went.

"I don't believe you Chiron," he took a step back; away from the one he had looked up to at Camp. "Why is that?"

Chiron sighed before waving a hand at the seat in front of him.

"Sit down Percy. I hope you weren't looking forward to breakfast."

 _ **THIS IS A LINE**_

The rush and haste of the many children and parents trying to check the bags of their children's luggage and assuring that their owls, cats, and frogs were still alive and well, only added to the deafening bustle of the station.

Nico looked around disbelievingly. This couldn't have been here the whole time. Was it hidden by the mist, or just hidden from demigods?

Before he could think on it anymore, he saw the rest of the Weasley's and that one other kid that he still felt guilty about attacking- running to the quickly closing doors of the train, crates and chests bouncing harshly against the ground as they rushed the doors.

This could've been the perfect chance for Nico to get away. To just quietly slip away and shadow travel back. Back to Camp Half Blood where he could go on with his normal life. Sure it was a life where not a soul gives a damn about whether or not he'll ever make it back to Camp, and couldn't give two shits about the fact that everything he ate tasted like pomegranates, but it was still his life and Nico could've gone back.

But somehow, a part of him knew that he couldn't just _go back_ now.

He slid through the doors last, the single bag he held behind him just barely making it in. The train was filled to the brim with students, some younger than him, some older- well, depending on how you look at it.

He had to find a seat though, and among the many cars filled with friends talking amongst themselves, waiting for the train to start up, he'd rather not invade their conversations. So that led to his only choices being to either sit with the kid he beat up and his friends, or wedge himself awkwardly between a nervous group of eleven year olds.

Assault victim it is.

Nico slid the door of the train car open, the annoying screeching of the door making him cringe, albeit slightly. The minimal people already seated in the car left Nico enough space to sit down at the very edge of the seat, making sure his body didn't touch anyone near him. Nico slowly leaned back into the chair of the train car, hoping to meld into the chair just to escape the overwhelming tension in the train car. He just barely slipped into the train last second, and had no other choice but to sit in the only car with space inside.

This was, conveniently the train car filled with the many people living in the house he broke into…great.

Just when Nico was 100 percent sure that the occupants of the car were planning on rising against him and petitioning on getting him kicked out, the train started up with what was sure to be a deafening whistle for those outside of the train. He dropped his bag at his feet and adjusted his cloak. Seemed this ride would be taking a while.

 **Oh yeah, earlier in the week I got a review saying that me writing this is a line for my line breaks was annoying, and I couldn't reply because it was a guest account. But what I wanted to say was that I originally write all of my chapters on Microsoft word and then just transfer them into my doc manager. And so when I add a line break on Word, it always end up like that on my docs. Don't know why, but I'm sorry- I can't change it, and have kinda gotten used to it. BYEEEEE**

 **-ghostking**


	7. Chapter 6

**_Hi, just a fore warning for this chapter. It's darker than all of my other ones and definitely longer so more spelling and grammar mistakes are to be expected. So yeah proceed at your own risk and review. BYEEEEE_**

 ** _-ghostking_**

 _His body shook with each thrum of the ground, pulsing with the soul of Tartarus himself. Stuck in a place not even the gods would venture. Serves him right for being a cocky bastard._

 _The Phlegethon burned steady next to him, consuming the soles of his threadbare shoes in the heat of the fires. Nico could barely remember how long he'd been down here, time was different in Tartarus. The days all lumping together, if they even were days. Could've been months, and Nico wouldn't be surprised if it'd been years. Wouldn't put it past the gods._

 _Nico bent down to the point where he was level with the river. He cupped the liquid fire in his hands, looking and cursing it. River of healing, his ass._

 _The spice of the drink going down his throat and pooling hotly in his stomach left Nico feeling sickly but better. He shakily got to his feet, the aches and pains he felt beforehand at the back of his mind, soothed by the Phlegethon healing properties._

 _Time to move out. Even if he was alone on this, the Doors of Death would close, even if it was by his final breath. This was his father's realm, and he would not allow this to happen under his nose._

 _Although Nico did wonder if he was supposed to be feeling what he was feeling. The constant paranoia- yes, he knew that was a feeling he should be having. But the voices he was unsure of. Yeah, those weren't meant to be there, he doesn't think._

 _As if knowing the pure uncertainty he held in his heart, because at that moment, Bianca decided to stop right in front of him._

 _Sure, Nico had seen her at times whether it was a Tartarus or at camp, she always seemed to be there whether it was in his dreams or just before his eyes._

 _But this was different. His Bianca wasn't his Bianca._

 _Her eyes were closed and her hair seemed to twist around her body like snakes. She wore hooded robes, completely unlike the hunter's clothing she donned before her death. But was she still his sister? Her sister that abandoned him like the burden he had been named? His counterpart that would forever be leaps and bounds ahead of him? His father's favorite?_

 _Bianca-not-Bianca gripped his face and spoke in a tired, sleep ridden voice._

" _Is it fair?"_

" _What?"_

" _Is it fair?" She asked. It seemed that she was asking this question with absolute sincerity. Her eyes were closed but he could tell without a doubt what she was feeling._

" _I thought it was fair. I am the beginning. So I will be the end. Only seems right does it not?" Not-Bianca said, her head tipped off to one side like a confused puppy. He hated it._

" _You of all people should know we don't get fair B!" Nico shouted, his eyes begging with her, pleading with her to make sense to him._

" _But you got your fair. Many friends that care for you, a war won by your will alone. How is that not fair? But me- forced back to slumber by children. How is that fair?" Her face morphed into Octavian's._

" _IS IT FAIR?!"_

Nico's eyes popped open when he felt the hand nearing him. In a single move Jason would be proud of, Nico twisted himself around swiftly, gripping the offending object tightly, his skull ring digging tightly into the pale skin of the person. He looked up into the eyes of the culprit, realizing that once again it was the _same_ damn kid he always seemed to be hurting.

Gods dammit.

"Uh um, sorry…?" Dammit he wasn't good at apologies. At least that was the conclusion he garnered from the boy's face.

"Harry," he stopped there, as if expecting Nico to automatically know who he was by that one word.

"Okay then- Harry," Nico said gesturing to the rest of the car, "Where did everyone else go?"

Harry paused slightly, liked he was surprised that Nico didn't make a big deal out of meeting him. _Gods, what does he want me to do, worship the ground beneath him?_

"They should be on the carriages by now. We should go," Harry gestured to the door. Nico nodded slightly and slipped past him and out the door.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

He watched as the boy edged past him while he grabbed his stuff from the overhanging chamber. Seemed like he had no idea of the wizarding world, based on how he showed no reaction to his name when he first heard it.

But if he wasn't a wizard, what was he? Harry knew for a fact that muggles wouldn't be able to pass into the station unless they had some sort of relation to the wizarding world.

Harry was brought back to the present harshly when the door of the train slid shut. He quickly gathered the remainder of his luggage. Just as he thought the train would start up again and leave him standing in the middle of the train like a bloody idiot, Hagrid came bustling in, scanning the train cars for any lost first years. Hagrid looked up from under the seat cushion of a car seat- like anyone would be caught dead hiding there- and locked eyes with Harry. His face could've been split his smile was so big.

"'Array! Good to see you boy! Nice to see 'yeh and all, but what're you still doing on here. The honor is usually reserved for the first year stragglers," Hagrid said, his naturally loud voice vibrating within his head.

"I uh, was waking up a new kid," Harry replied.

"A firs' 'ear?"

"Transfer student, actually. Fifth year," He said, scratching his head in disbelief at himself. It would be best to keep the truth about why Nico was actually here to himself until he knows for sure that Dumbledore already informed Hagrid.

"Never heard of anyone transferring during the fifth 'ear, helluva a year it is, with all the exams. Wors' 'ear of mine let me tell 'ya," Hagrid continued. "That's enough talking' for now, comon' now Harry, move along! The thestrals should be ready to go right about now."

"Thestrals?"

"I'm hurt Harry, always thought you were listening when I taught. Guess I can only trust 'Ermione to care," Harry knew Hagrid was kidding, But he did feel bad about zoning off in some of his lectures.

"Sorry Hagrid, need to make it onto the carriage. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day, right?"

"O' course Harry, you should 'urry"

"Bye!" Harry shouted back at him, already on his way off the train. He didn't exactly know where he was going, but decided to follow the voice calling for 'fifth years here'. Just around the bend of the bundle of trees in the clearings before him, the carriages just in front of them.

It was just last year he couldn't see the thestrals, but now he could clearly see them, the skeletal horses standing tall and harnessed to the velvety red carriages. The thestrals were usually subject of fear among the other students, Luna being the only exception to that easily perceived fact, until right now.

The thestrals seemed to flock to Nico, the ones already harnessed to carts pulling towards him. If Harry expected Nico to look scared or uncomfortable, he was very wrong on that front.

Nico was smiling while petting one of the shorter thestrals- a baby perhaps. It was rubbing its face against his cheek, as if claiming Nico as his.

The other already seated in the carriages either looked horrified; whether it was because they couldn't see the thestrals and were worried for Nico's mental health, or angry at Nico for holding them up. But he assumed they wouldn't be waiting for long, because when Nico saw Harry, he pat the thestrals head twice more before seemingly whispering in its ear and chuckling- like he got a response back just by listening to its neighs and whines. Like a secret language.

He hopped into the carriage nearest to him, Nico following behind. Once they were both seated and situated, Harry turned to Nico fully, body twisting in the seat; before speaking.

"You can see them?"

"See what?" Nico replied, confused.

"The thestrals?" at Nico's once again confused look, Harry continued. "The thestrals? Skeletal horses?"

At the mention of skeletons, Nico perked up.

"The horses are called thestrals? Huh. I thought everyone could see them. With the way they were avoiding them, I mean," Nico said nonchalantly, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to the carriages other occupants.

"No, only those who have seen death can see them. Who have you seen die Nico?" Nico appeared to shut down completely at the question, any traces of happiness he garnered from playing with the thestrals withered.

"Who have you seen die? I mean, you obviously saw them too. Didn't you?" With the tables turned back to him, Harry also clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to relive Cedric dying in his head again. After all, he already had enough dreams about him already without purposely trying to take a walk down memory lane.

"I can see them, but… it's just that I… I don't-"

"Then don't ask me if you don't exactly like it when the gun is pointed at you," Nico said lowly, his words screaming out his underlying anger, but his eyes swimming in grief.

Their carriage came to a stop with a bump, throwing the passengers forward a bit. Except for Nico, for his body was coiled so tightly with tension he didn't move an inch.

Harry grabbed the bags from right next to him, and turned once again over to Nico.

"Well, this is where we part. You need to go join up with the first years over there to be sorted," Harry stated, pointing at the bundle of first years all standing in a tight circle around Hagrid.

Nico seemed to deflate at the mention of the sorting, but stared up at Harry, his few inches making him stand taller than him.

"Bye then"

Harry was actually sad to see him go. It was a shame that he would be sorted into Slytherin where he would be taught the ways of hating all Gryffindors.

He sighed, why was this even getting to him?

Just because he could actually get along with someone who- for once- didn't treat him like the wizarding world's poster boy? Or was it because he could tell by his eyes that he'd been through the same pain he had?

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico trudged through the heavy underbrush of the dense forest towards the first years all huddled around a giant man.

 _Even in a school of fucking wizards, he's once again going to be sorted into what everyone fears and hates. Just another chance to be labelled as an evil person- a freak; feared just like those damn horses._

He glumly made his way to the end of the terribly-crooked line of kids, all standing near their friends, making little bunches within the line. The tall man led them in through the high arch of a building entrance, the height of it even surpassing the man height by a few feet. They made their way past brightly lit halls and walkways before finally making it to huge double doors, torches and statues flanking it on both sides.

The doors opened in on themselves, opening the space into a great hall, long dining tables filling the room. Another table in the back of the room, filled with older wizards- teachers? Each of the tables donned their own colors, and students at each table wore the designated colors on their robes and scarves as the ones on the tables. There were also tapestries hanged on the stone walls, all showing the same colors- red, green, purple, and yellow. In the very center of the hall, in front of the teacher's table- there was a single stool with a pointy, black witch's hat resting on it; although a bit floppy and worn.

Nico would be surprised by the fact that the school only had three-four cabins for this many students, but he was too busy wondering how in Hades they got the candles to float on their own like they did.

Magic is what he would assume, but even the Hecate kids at camp needed to concentrate on the candles for them to float like that. The people here didn't even give them a second look. The first years seemed to all be staring at the patched-up hat on the stool like it would determine their futures, while the ones already seated gazed at the first years eagerly, sadistic looks on their faces.

When the singing started, Nico automatically looked towards the worn faces of the teachers, but none of their mouths were moving. So Nico automatically assumed they were playing a pre-recorded track right? No.

Every single person was looking gat the damn hat. The _hat_ for gods sake! The fucking hat was singing!

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on!

Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

The hat was awarded a round of applause after the little musical number, and Nico had to admit, this was one of the craziest things he'd seen in his entire life as a demigod. Above seeing Leo's enormous amount of chest hair, but below seeing his surplus of nose hairs (don't ask).

And then they started calling names. After hearing the first few names as they called up the first group, Nico realized that they were named in Alphabetical order. Di Angelo- _d_. and judging by the fact that they had already gotten to 'c, he knew it wouldn't be long before they called his name. To sit in front of hundreds of kids and be sorted. Probably into the most hated house with the most hated of his age group.

Wouldn't be the first time. And now, it wouldn't be the last.

"di Angelo, Nico." A sharp voice enunciated loudly. At least he wasn't first.

Nico watched as a girl, roughly eleven sat on the stool; the woman who called out his name- the last of their group- placed the hat over her eyes. The hall was dead-silent, all students leaning forward in their seats, waiting to see if she would become friend or foe on that very day. After a few beats, the hat seemed to tilt a bit, as if considering something before screaming out, a seam splitting to act as a mouth.

"Hufflepuff!"

The table to Nico's immediate left erupted with cheers and applaud. The girl sitting on the stool had the hat removed- once again ending up in the hands of the older woman. A smile went across her face as she sat down at an empty spot between her peers, welcomed warmly. Nico doubted that was how it would go down for him.

So time and time again he watched as another person moved forward in line, sat on the stool, and was sorted. But what confused him was how every time one was sorted into Gryffindor, another table sneered and guffawed. He automatically assumed that was the cabin he would be sorted into- or house, as the hat called it. The one house others booed at and pointed at with contempt. _That_ was Nico's kind of house.

Wouldn't be the first time.

Time seemed to slow down marginally when he heard his name, called out loud for all to hear and commit to memory for further taunting.

He walked slowly to the stool; wondering in that was how prisoners on death row felt in their final moments, before judgement day.

The stool was hard against the flesh of his rear, the robes he wore doing nothing to protect him from it.

The hat was slowly placed on his head by the woman he saw do it multiple times. The same woman that protected his from the angry bull that Nico continually taunted time after time. He just hoped he wouldn't be here to laugh at Nico with his face crisscrossed with scars.

When he heard the voice he jumped

Just barely he could hear people chuckling at him, muffled by the wooly surface of the hat.

 _Not a wizard?_

 _ **What the fuck?!**_

 _Dirty mouthed too. Hmm, I'll store that away for further reference. No matter, let's get a look into that brain of yours._

Nico could feel his brain being prodded at, the already beaten down wall being passed easily by this- this _HAT._

 _ **Get out.**_

 _Come again?_

 _ **Get out- get out of my head you ugly ass hat!**_

 _Didn't you come here to get sorted? To have your mind sifted through like flour just so I can find your finest secrets, your best traits?_

And with that, Nico watched as memories- his memories moved past behind his eyes like a slideshow. All of his dreams and visions, swimming past like fish down a creek. He wanted it to just be over. And the hat- the hat acted as a damn commentator to it all, adding in his two cents to _every_ memory. Like some damn bystander just watching as all the shit in his life unraveled.

 _Beautiful sister by the way._

 _Jesus, scary isn't it?_

 _A bit much aint it?_

 _May I ask- was that statue heavy?_

 _Not like I didn't see_ that _coming_

 _ **You poor soul**_

He tried. He really fucking did try.

He tried to stay still, to not look like a twitching freak in front of the whole student body. But when the flashes came: the damn flashes of Tartarus came, the dam broke.

A tortured scream tore through Nico and he ripped the hat off his head; throwing it onto the floor with as much force as he could muster. The shadows in the corners of the hall were attracted to Nico, hanging around him as if tentative of their distance. Tiny, hairline fractures ran through the walls and floors, a quiet, low, moaning of tortured souls seeping through the flooring and soles of his shoes. He felt the telltale burning of the River Phlegethon as it slid down his throat- the liquid fire.

He couldn't take it.

 _GRYFFINDOR_ he heard, just as his eyes rolled up and he fell to the floor, quiet at last.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Really have nothing important to mention other than when I was writing this chapter I wasn't really into the last part, since I was writing in a hurry. But yeah, I'm trying to get excited about this story again. So yeah review if you can and have a nice few minutes while you read. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**_

As Harry made his way into the Great Hall with the other fifth years, he couldn't help but wonder where Nico was at that moment. Sure, he was with the first years and would probably be coming through the doors of the Hall right after everyone was situated and the professors were seated, but his thoughts still wandered to Nico. He just couldn't understand how someone like him-so young- would serve Voldemort. He was probably blackmailed by the Dark Lord, judging by how he didn't recognize Harry even after he told him his name.

He made a turn when he saw Ron waving at him from a table near the far wall, an empty seat between the two.

Harry wedged himself between Ron and Hermione. They were probably saving this seat for a while, having gotten in early with the other prefects. The prefects had to speak with the professors when they first got in, and make sure the houses common rooms were tidy for the students to move back in. This was a must even though most students cleaned up before heading home in the summer. Even the ghosts helped out with the cleaning when the castle was near empty.

Speaking of ghosts, Harry could spy Nearly Headless Nick barely hovering near the professors table, head wobbling dangerously with every minute movement made. He and the Fat Friar were speaking with each other, and Harry could just assume judging by the angry-looking hand movements Nick was making that he was caught up in another argument with the Friar. Well not exactly an argument, if lecturing someone while they just infuriatingly nod their head and agree with you counts.

He turned to Hermione and Ron just as the rest of the faculty members filed in and sat down. Harry watched as Dumbledore cast a spell on the candles, seeing them slowly lift into the air for the first years to admire when they came in. He remembered when he first arrived at Hogwarts, just having learned that magic existed and _so_ happy to say that the lights were floating because of _magic._

The scuttling of quiet feet just outside the doors led Harry to turn his head toward the noise. _Finally!_

The creaking of the heavy double doors as they slid open only added to the excitement in the air. The huddled group of first years were herded in by Professor McGonagall, lining up again the walls. McGonagall started calling up the names just after the hat sung its song.

Harry's eyes shot up to the front when he heard Nico's name called for the first group. He looked nervous, fidgeting and constantly twisting a ring on his finger around. Harry chuckled. Nico looked just like the other first years there: nervous, anxious, and like they wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. Except Nico seemed a bit more extreme; like he would rather have the earth swallow him up than be sorted in front of the castle's occupants.

The sorting went just like it normally did for every year Harry was present at the school. They would sit on the stool, McGonagall would put on the hat, and in less than a minute, longer for some, the Sorting hat would announce their house. There would usually be cheering and clapping from whatever house they were put in, but after that it would quiet down. Maybe once in a while you would see Professor McGonagall smile slightly when a student was sorted into Gryffindor, but other than that, the ceremony was quite tame.

Until Nico's name was called.

When Nico's name was called he looked like he was hit with a cattle prod. His shoulders hunched up as he walked towards the hat, seeming to get paler, if that was even possible for him at that point.

Harry noticed that when Nico sat down, he sat as close to the edge as possible, his feet on the ground as if waiting to bolt. Nico's feet tapped anxiously on the tile of the hall, the noise echoing in the otherwise quiet room. He snickered quietly when Nico jumped, probably hearing the voice of the hat within his head. He knew he did too when the hat first spoke to him.

But there _was_ something off here.

The hat had been on Nico's head for more than a minute, twice as long as it usually was, even for him.

Harry zeroed in on Nico's hands, seeing them clench up to the point of his knuckles turning white out of the corner of his eye. He turned to Hermione and Ron, who both wore expressions of confusion on their faces, puzzled at Nico's reaction to the sorting.

Whispers broke out among his classmates, everyone wondering why Nico hadn't been sorted yet. Some saying how the hat maybe fell asleep on Nico head, or maybe just hadn't decided which house to sort Nico in yet.

But Harry could tell there was something wrong here.

Nico seemed to be in pain at this point, the tapping of his feet stopping and his hands constantly clenching and unclenching. Harry looked up to where the professors all sat, and shared a panicked look with Dumbledore, who- along with Professor Snape- had a troubled look on their features, eyebrows furrowed. Dumbledore began to rise from the High Table, wand in hand as he approached the squirming boy on the stool, hands raised like a lion tamer.

But he was not fast enough.

Nico slammed the hat down onto the ground roughly, his quiet whimperings morphing into a full blown howl as he scratched at his throat like an animal, black fire visible just behind the delicate skin of his throat. The room dimmed greatly, like the darkest shadows of the hall were attracted to Nico, wrapping him up in their inky essence and covering the boy in heavy night. Pitch black fires seeming to flash in and out of existence.

The walls and floors chipped along the corners and ceiling, and Harry could swear he heard crying coming from the cracks.

Then it all stopped, and Harry could hear quiet static behind his ears at the sudden silence.

When the shadows receded, Nico was barely there, looking so small and frail in the large hall. Harry blinked owlishly, not sure if he was really seeing what he thought. Nico's hands were fading from the tips of his fingers to his forearms, and his legs faded to his ankles.

Before Harry could intervene, Dumbledore swooped in, lifting Nico up like he weighed nothing- he probably did- and rushed out, Madam Pomfrey trailing behind him. The doors swung shut, leaving the Hall and those inside wondering what just happened.

Harry shot a look to Ron and Hermione, both still shocked after the events seeming to span a single second, and followed after the quickly receding footsteps of Dumbledore.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Madam Pomfrey looked down at the boy lying still on the cot, barely breathing.

She had seen the sorting from the safety of the High Table, just like she had every year for the last 25 years she had been working there, and yet, this took the galleon for most memorable. Landing himself into the hospital wing before the feast even started was bad enough, but to think she couldn't help this boy at all just made the bitter taste in her mouth all the more sour.

He had no external injuries other than the self-inflicted scratches on his neck, and bruising on the back of his head from the nasty fall he took after losing consciousness. But other than that, she couldn't find out why the sorting hat had an unhealthy effect on him. And based on Dumbledore's somber mood, neither could he.

Albus had been hovering about the medical wing ever since he had set him on a bed, Severus passing by to speak to him in hushed tones ever so often. She worried something was off with this child, that he had seen and been through more than a child should.

Madam Pomfrey snapped her head up when she heard the door to the infirmary open softly.

Harry Potter stuck his head hesitantly through the minimal space between the door and door jamb. He looked towards her for confirmation, fully entering at her nod.

He immediately made his way to Dumbledore, who could be seen exchanging words with Severus quietly, their back turned to her and Harry.

As if they sensed Harry coming, the conversation between them immediately stopped. Dumbledore turned to Harry; a smile on his face as if nothing had happened, but everyone in the room knew otherwise.

Madam Pomfrey knew not to get involved so she kept her head down, and began tending to the boy's wounds.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico opened his eyes slowly, everything around him blurry.

He groaned sleepily, swiping a calloused hand across his tired face. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision before opening them again.

After close inspection Nico realized he was in what seemed to be an infirmary. It was just like the one at camp, but with more potions, and it was definitely on the bigger scale. Nico couldn't see any other occupants other than a woman bustling around, arranging vial and wiping down counters. She didn't seem to notice he was awake.

"Uh," Nico cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me?"

She whipped around quickly, eyes wide as if she didn't expect him to be awake yet.

"Oh. You're awake. Do you feel any pain? Any discomfort?" The woman said, moving closer to him with each word. Nico laughed inwardly. It seemed even the wizards had a Will.

"No. Where am I?"

"The hospital ward."

"Can I leave?"

At the question the woman looked outraged.

"Of course not, you need _rest_!" She stalked forward, "At very least you will sleep here just to be safe. We haven't yet concluded what happened to you- if we could even say that much."

Nico wanted to punch a wall. If he didn't Iris Message someone soon, he was sure Percy would call in the cavalry- or send a rescue team. As if Will and Hazel didn't worry over him enough. He had to find a way to convince her he was fine, so he could seclude himself long enough to Iris Message Percy.

"But, don't you think I would rest better surrounded by my newly-made friends?" Nico said, trying but failing to make Percy's puppy-dog eyes.

She seemed to consider this, probably realizing that Nico was her only patient and it _was_ the start of the term.

"Uhm," she looked around hopelessly, looking for something that could stop him from leaving. She found nothing. "I'm afraid I'll have to let you leave- for now! But you will check in before classes start tomorrow."

"Okay!" Nico threw the sheets off of him, prepared to bolt and find a quiet place to hide out until after he messaged Percy. And judging by how it'd been at least a week, it may have been too late already.

Nico hand one hand on the door before turning back. He looked at the matron, feeling like he owed her something for her troubles. But if he had anything he would give it to her.

"Thank you… you know, for the trouble," He left before she could answer.

The halls were empty, the entire student body downstairs-minus one-judging by the noise coming from the general direction. Nico had no idea where he was; due to his being unconscious when whoever moved him to the infirmary did what they did. He made his way down the stone halls, the tall ceilings seeming to go on forever.

He found a dark corner to huddle in, already reaching into his pockets before realizing that he had no idea where his aviator was.

 _Fuck my luck. Fuck my life_

Nico let his head bang back onto the stone wall, cursing his luck for the who-knows-teenth time in his life.

When he did get back to camp, he would never leave his aviator again. With that grim promise, Nico decided he needed to find a place to promptly pass out in.


	9. Chapter 8

**_You guys must be surprised that I updated this early in the day, but I was overcome with inspiration for this chapter, so it practically wrote itself. So yeah, enjoy this EARLY chapter!_**

 _Percy turned slowly in a circle, finding himself inside some sort of mansion or manor. The walls were painted dark and a foreboding feeling hung in the air; warning Percy to tread carefully. His instincts were telling him he should be here, that he didn't belong, but his brain was screaming at him that this would bring him closer to finding Nico. When had him being somewhere he wasn't supposed to stop him from snooping around a bit?_

 _He could hear muffled voices speaking quietly, yet was unable to locate where it was coming from. Just then, a loud screech could be heard from all around the building. Percy headed in that direction slowly, wishing he had his sword with him, although he knew it was a dream._

 _The voice once again quieted down to an angry stage-whisper; as if trying to hold back inevitable anger while still attempting to stay quiet. As he got closer, he could just barely catch the edges of a conversation through the crack in the door._

" _-ord… Hogwarts- charms kept us away…-extremely sorry my Lord," The voice was quiet yet strong in nature; the monotone words belonging to a tall man with long, bleach-blond hair. In his grip there was a thin cane connected to his short, skinny fingers. The corners of the man's mouth seemed to be perpetually turned down, and his nose turned up._

 _Percy made the assumption that the man was either some sort of royal figure, or just a really cocky prick. He turned to see the man sat on the chair farthest from Percy and the door…_

 _And froze._

 _The man was pale, so pale he seemed to fade into a bluish-gray color. But his defining feature was his nose. Or rather his lack of one. His nose consisted of two thin slits where a nose should have sat, but only a bump could be seen from where Percy stood. The man was seated; read, watery eyes turned down to a large snake in his lap._

" _So you let the boy get away is what you're telling, Lucius? 'We tried' is all you have to say to me?" like a switch, the man's calm demeanor made a complete 180._

" _WELL YOU DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH! THAT BOY IS MY IMMORTALITY!"_

" _My Lord, I-"_

" _DON'T LIE TO ME, LUCIUS!" He took a deep breath and started. "I do not like being lied to, Lucius. But I am not one to disrespect a man in his own home."_

 _Percy shivered, although it wasn't from the cold. How he could just flip into that raspy, snake like voice and still make everything sound so appealing? Like even if he told Percy to act on something inside him- something evil like what he almost became in Tartarus- he would do it because it was in the best interest of the man. How was that possible?_

" _My Lord, as you know, Draco is also enrolled in Hogwarts and interested in bringing the boy to you. No one suspects him, and I believe he can do it. Please," The man looked at him with calculating eyes, even while pleading still finding a way to sound monotone, "Just one more chance. I promise you will have the boy to you by the end of the school year. He will bring di Angelo to you- alive."_

 _Percy gasped; backing away from the door quickly before he could be seen._

 _As he was getting away, Nico on his mind, the snake hissed lowly in its throat and paused, as if waiting for a reply._

" _Yes Nagini, that boy will be a problem. Lucius, make sure to keep him as far away from Hogwarts as possible. You asked for a chance? Well here it is."_

 _Percy ran quickly away; hoping against all logic that they weren't chasing him. He was so close to the doors. Just one more little spurt of energy and-_

"Percy?"

He looked around wildly, before realizing it was only Annabeth and deflating slowly. Percy rubbed a hand over his face roughly; letting out a sigh slowly.

"Sorry Wise Girl; didn't mean to wake you up," Percy said, trying to lighten the mood, although his face probably shouted that he was scared out of his mind. He could see the exact moment that she pitied him and he hated it.

"Not like I was planning on sleeping anyways. With you going on the quest in the morning- by yourself might I add- 'would've been awake anyway." Annabeth replied, but the obvious sleep in her voice told him otherwise. "What'd you dream about?"

"Nico, well not really Nico but- ugh, I don't know anymore," Percy looked up at her hopelessly; the weight he felt on his chest heavier than when he held the sky on his shoulders. He couldn't fail Nico again. He already let him down once with Bianca, and again when Nico confessed his feelings to him. He'd heard of three times a charm, but Percy doubted that would be the case for him.

He turned over onto his side and attempted sleep. He would find Nico and protect him from whatever was after him. Percy would protect him this time, even if he failed every other time.

Just before he could surrender himself to the realm of Hypnos, he felt arms wrap around him, and a soothing voice in his ear whisper, "When the time comes, Seaweed Brain." And with that, Percy was lost to the world; all worry lines erased from his face as he succumbed to sleep's call.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico blinked sluggishly, stretching his arms out to the sky as he woke.

He had no idea that the beds in the infirmary were this comfortable. Maybe he could pitch the idea of better furniture to Will when he got back; seeing as he was the most frequent flyer when it came to infirmary visits. If he had a bed like this when he landed himself in the infirmary after the defeat of Gaea, he might not have tried to escape as many times as he did.

Only after Nico came to his senses fully did he realize that he was not in fact located in the infirmary.

Then where was he?

His first impression was just red. Red banners could be seen hanging on the stone walls and the beds were all draped in a red cloth. And although little splotches of gold could be seen here and there, it was obvious that red was a favored color for this _house?_

Nico thought back to his minimal knowledge he had of the houses that were in the school. The _hat that Nico may or may not harbor ill feelings towards_ had mentioned the four houses of the school- Dogwarts? He couldn't really remember much of what happened after the woman put the hat on him, but he did remember being told something about Gryffindor just before he passed out- an activity that he was getting way too good at.

He swung his legs over the bed and onto the floor, not prepared to realize that he was in the pajamas that Mrs. Weasley had given him before ushering him out of the house. He knew for sure that he didn't even find a way to a bed after being released from the infirmary, let alone sift through his meager belongings and change out of his clothes to sleep.

Nico felt the heat of a blushed cover the entire scope of his face up until the point where he was certain that the tips of his toes were as fiery a red as his cheeks and ears.

If he didn't change… who did?

Ugh. He covered his face with his hands in utter embarrassment.

Looking around, he could see at least 12 other boys in the large, circular, room. The beds were all arranged in a circle around a large furnace in the center of the room, a short chest of drawers present in front of each bed. A narrow staircase seemingly wedged between two beds.

Nico changed back into his black skeleton shirt, sniffing it briefly to check if it was wearable, before slipping it and his black cloak on.  
He headed down the staircase speedily, years of training as a demigod ensuring that he didn't trip on a single step. Once he was down a quick assessment of the space showed him another identical staircase just opposite of the one he was on- probably leading to a girl's dormitory. The staircase opened up to a larger room than the one upstairs, once again bathed in red.

This room was much more messy, haphazardly thrown articles of clothing laying the- you guessed it- _red_ couches and chairs. Intricately drawn paintings were hung on the walls, most of them depicting some sort of lion on their canvases.

Nico could observe the room for hours without tiring of it. Every time he looked revealing a piece of the room, a new secret. But alas, his time was cut short by a voice behind him.

"Dumbledore requests your presence." Nico turned around, battle instincts reaching for his sword before realizing it was still over at the Weasley's house.

A ghost stood before him, dressed in clothing straight out of the middle ages.

When Nico turned to face him, he gasped and bowed quickly, head flipping over like a top hat. Nico grimaced; he didn't need a telescope to see how this one died.

"Sir- King! What brings you here?" The ghost's voice rose a few decibels, making him sound like chocked squirrel.

"It seems I have misplaced myself," Nico said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. _Yeah 'misplaced' is the word._

"I see," The ghost said, fingers twirling the pointed goatee on its chin in thought. "Well, since you are here, I have been tasked to bring you to Dumbledore's office."

"Dumbledore?"

"Yes, the headmaster of Hogwarts."

Nico shrugged. "Lead the way."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry believed without a single strand of doubt that he just experienced the best sleep he had in a long time. Although he stayed up until lights out at ten catching up with the others- not many after the whole Cedric, Voldemort-is-returning fiasco- a full, nightmare free slumber was something to be desired with Harry. Especially after the incident in the Great Hall.

Once the door closed behind Dumbledore and Nico, Harry was told by Ron and Hermione that the sorting went on as usual, and the feast commenced after; just like it did every other year.

Harry knew that much; having had gone back to the feast after talking with Dumbledore in the infirmary.

He frowned. Harry shouldn't have been surprised that Dumbledore refused to speak to him like a normal person and just tell him everything straight about what had happened with Nico. But no, he looked him in the eyes and told him _be weary of those around you_ with such a serious face it scared him, and then smiled and told him to get back to the feast.

Harry was left going over the conversation many times in his head, but still came up with the same conclusion.

That he had no idea what the hack he meant by his warning.

And as if that didn't confuse him enough, going back to the boy's dorms and finding Nico curled up on a bed, dead to the world, threw him for a loop. How did he get in without the password from the Fat Lady? At the time even the _prefects_ didn't have them.

The boy baffled him even more every time.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Percy stuffed the last of the ambrosia and nectar he could carry into his pack.

At first Will was hesitant to give up as much supplies as he did to Percy, but the minute he mentioned Nico's possible peril, the healer practically threw the stuff at him; even adding in some unicorn draught just in case.

He swung the pack easily over his shoulder, smiling slightly at the snug comfort of it. Ever since the Giant War, he never wanted to go on another quest again, but now that he was on his way to one he was filled with a nostalgic kind of happiness; though a part of him wished he could go on a quest _with_ Nico not _for_ him.

After making his rounds around camp and saying his goodbyes, he put together his bag; ready to go and retrieve the prophecy from Rachel. He hated that he had to go on this quest alone, and he told Chiron that much, only to get a pitying smile and a grim: "It seems the quest has already been decided for you."

Percy had no idea what that meant, but it only served to make Annabeth even more apprehensive about this quest by the minute.

But it was too late to go back and turn down the quest, especially if it had been assembled by a higher power like the fates.

He looked up into the round window of the Big House's attic. It was dark as usual, Rachel preferring to keep its 'magical essence' (her words, not his). With the same feeling of foreboding he got when entering the Big House to speak with Chiron, Percy entered the attic; ready to find out what the fates had in store for him.

Rachel looked up from her sketchbook, a tight smile on her face.

"Percy Jackson: just the demigod I was waiting for."

And with that, she promptly got taken over by the Spirit of Delphi, green mist drifting from her body.

 _ **OOH things are getting feisty! (Feisty?) I'm so happy that I could finally get Nico in the castle and just tie up some loose ends from the last last chapter. Anywhoo, hope you enjoyed this chapter- and remember you can show your support for this by reviewing, favoring, and following this story if you can. BYEEE**_

 _ **P.S.- I have recently changed my username, so don't be alarmed at the new signing off at the end of my recent chapters after this one.**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**Announcement: I have changed my username from ghostkingisbae to match my A03 user so that I can post this story there without any confusion over who is who, so if you want, you can also read this story there. I'm happy that I got this chapter done quickly with (hopefully) minimal spelling mistakes. This chapter is kind of a wild ride so yeah, strap yourself in and hang on tight. Enjoy this once again EARLY chapter and review because this chapter kind of strays from my normal writing style and I'm unsure of it. BYEEE**_

Nico trudged behind Sir Nicholas awkwardly, students passing by them staring shamelessly at them. He understood that the whole 'peer having a psychotic breakdown in the middle of everyone' thing is such cause for interest among the entire student body.

He snuggled uncomfortably into his cloak, hoping that the comforting black color would take him back to his natural habitat as an antisocial hermit. Nicholas seemed to understand the tension coming off of Nico and sped up his pace,making a quick corner and starting conversation with him as they wove their way to the headmaster's office.

"If you don't mind me asking Young Master, exactly how did you find yourself in the wizarding world? I was under the impression that your father was trying to keep you away," Nearly Headless Nick's voice lowered as if Nico's father would hear him if he spoke any louder- he probably would.

"Just a botched jump," Nico said dismissively, waving away the incident. "Why was my father trying to keep me away? They're only wizards you know, pointy hats, wands and whatnot" At this Nicholas turned away, his spectral body practically burning with a secret.

"Have you," he paused to look up at Nico, eyes serious. "Have you heard of the Dark Lord?"

"My father?"

"No- no of course not. The Dark Lord of the wizarding world."

Nico could tell he had heard that name before; felt the itch in his head that came with a memory so close in his mind. Before he could speak, Sir Nicholas went on; if possibly his ghostly shade taking on a lifeless pallor- more lifeless than usual, that is.

"Some may even call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who instead of- of _Voldemort_ ," Nicholas hissed out, ducking low to hide partially behind Nico.

"Voldemort?" Nicholas flinched, "What kind of name is that?"

"The name of the sadistic young boy turned mass murderer."

Nico shivered at the look in the ghost's eyes.

"But if he is still alive… doesn't that mean you weren't alive to see him?"

The ghost turned his dead eyes on him.

"A ghost can tell many tales. Even if they weren't there to witness the scene with their own eyes," he paused. "And there are many ghosts to tell their own gory tales because of that monster."

"Enough to make an army," Nico said, coming to the realization of just where he had heard of this supposed monster. He looked to Sir Nicholas, eyes blazing as he remembered the exact words of his father.

" _Nico, why do you think there are so many restless souls filing in now?" Hades asked his son seriously; the Greek fire beside his throne casting an eerie shadow on his thin face._

 _Nico was usually happy when his father would talk to him like an adult; unwavering and straight to the point when it came to Nico and the jobs he had to do for his father and the souls of the Underworld. Hades was never one to coddle his children; having had them- Nico being a prime example- grow up too hard and cold from a young age, constantly exposed to the horrors of the world too early._

" _It's because of the war in the other realms, isn't it?"_

" _Yes, it is. But do you know why there is that war?" At Nico sharp shake of his head he continued, fists clenching tightly. "There is a man, no- a boy- out there too cowardly to face me; so he sends these souls as messengers instead."_

 _Nico was scared. He had only seen his father like this when he spoke of being banished to the Underworld by his brothers; getting the short end of the stick and being looked down upon for millennia by his brethren. He looked out into the Underworld, seeing a rush of souls boarding on with Charon onto the River Styx; it wasn't merely a lot; it was a horde. He cleared his throat quietly before speaking; trying to keep his small voice from shaking._

" _How… how many are there?"_

 _Hades looked down at his young son, having just lost Bianca to his realm, before speaking coldly to the son he no longer wanted with eyes blazing._

" _Enough to make an army."_

Nico startled at the tap on his shoulder. Sir Nicholas was looking at him worriedly, having had become corporeal enough to tap Nico on shoulder. Nico swiped his hand away and grumbled a barely heard 'I'm fine'.

"We're here Young Master," Nicholas gestured to a statue of a phoenix with spread wings placed within a tall opening seemingly carved from the stone itself. After seeing Nico's confusion written clearly on his face, the ghost elaborated.

"The headmaster is expecting you, so you won't be needing the password," Sir Nicholas opened his transparent hands to the stone bird; a staircase rising from the ground shortly after.

Nico hopped onto the staircase as it rose, the large wings of the bird covering his field of vision and engulfing him in their powerful frame as they got higher to the hallway carved from the stone of the walls.

When everything stilled, Nico found himself standing flush to a wooden door, two torches on either side of it shining a light on the furnishing.

Without knocking, Nico swung the door open; surprised at it not being as heavy as it looked.

The room was huge.

There were tall arches leading into a large library. The books were piled high on the shelves, leading up to a balcony overlooking the entire space. A shiny desk stood front and center as the main focus of the room.

Nico would continue observing the room if it wasn't for the man sitting at the desk.

He had seen him at the opening ceremony. A tall, old man. Or what seemed to be the case.

Although the man tended to lean towards the thin, frail side, Nico could feel the power underneath the surface; sense something akin to a fire in this man's spirit. A fire that could be seen in his tall, straight posture and twinkle in his eyes through his half-moon glasses. His thin, long fingers were wrapped along a wand with round nubs at certain intervals throughout the wand.

He looked up from a thick book he was reading before Nico came in, having an expectant look on his face as if he was aware of the exact moment Nico would open the door to his office.

"How kind of you to pay a visit to this old man. How are you liking the school year so far?" Nico watched the shine in the Headmaster's eyes shimmer a bit brighter; as if sharing a joke between them.

Nico hated it.

"Listen, we both know that I didn't come here on a whim to _say hi_. So why don't you just spit out whatever you summoned me here for and I'll be on my merry way; skipping around with all my other witch and wizard friends to go turn princes into frogs."

"Ah yes!" Dumbledore exclaimed, snapping his finger as if suddenly remembering something. "I did in fact call you over. This old mind of mine has been getting me into trouble as of late. As much as I would like to let you go and join your friends with your charms, there is a bit of a problem. It seems you don't quite have your supplies put together."

"No," Nico forced the words out through clenched teeth. The old man was really getting on his already frayed nerves. "I don't. But I don't suppose you have any laying around in here?" _Please don't have anything. Just send me home- or anywhere other than this weird-ass school with this annoying old man._

"No we do not," Nico cheered a little inside. "The school supplies we have here are more _personalized_ than others. You will need to fetch your own supplies for your own standards and needs. Such as students who need books in other languages than the ones we speak here." With that, Dumbledore shot a hard look at Nico; daring him to speak against the accusation.

"So I have arranged for you to take time off today- while the other students are getting settled- for a little shopping trip. You will gather your supplies and clothing for the school year today; classes will officially start tomorrow," Once again back to his cheery demeanour, Dumbledore reached behind his desk; pulling out a piece of parchment with a list of supplies that Nico would have to pick up. Nico blinked owlishly at the list, not being able to read the curly script of the headmaster.

"How am I supposed to know where to go?" Nico said, still trying to decipher the text.

"Yes, I suppose that would be a problem for you," Dumbledore replied, eyebrows furrowing in thought. Nico could practically see the lightbulb going off in the man's head. "Harry would be happy to help. Now go on; these things take time to find."

Nico had a feeling the old man had the whole conversation mapped out and that no matter what Nico did, every move he made was part of some grand plan.

 _THIS IS LINE_

Harry watched, appalled, as Ron- just like he did at any dinner table- stuffed his face full of food; still talking normally as if he didn't have to fight past the mountain of food in his mouth to be heard. It wasn't like they understood him anyway.

"Dif tass bedter dan mumh makhs id," Ron spoke loudly, words muffled by the huge chicken leg wedged in his cheek like a chipmunk.

"Close your mouth will you? I'm going to lose my appetite if you keep that up!" Hermione said angrily, shooting a dirty look at ron as he continued chewing happily with his mouth open.

"You must not like the food that much if you're losing your appetite. If you don't want it anymore you can just hand it over to me. I don't mind that you've already touched it."

"Have you no shame? I swear-"

Hermione stopped abruptly as the room went dead silent; even Ron looking up from his plate long enough to see the cause of the silence.

Nico di Angelo was standing awkwardly next to Harry; eyes to the floor. He stood on the sides of his feet, shifting nervously every-so-often.

"Um… yes?" Harry questioned quietly, hating that he was currently the center of attention once again.

Nico mumbled back a response mutedly to the floor like the dull, tan tiles were the most interesting thing in the room at the moment.

"Come again? I didn't quite hear you"

Nico looked up at him pleadingly; begging him with his eyes to just let him get this over with. Harry saw him take a long breath in.

"Professor Dumbledore said you wouldn't mind taking me to find my school supplies."

Harry paused. He forgot that Nico was kept at Grimmauld place minus his own free will with no belongings on him other than his swords and some wierd gold coins in his pocket- which were promptly taken away from him before he could wake up. And coupled with Harry's suspicions that he had nowhere to go and that no one was really out there looking for him, left Harry feeling pity for the boy. It was obvious that Nico was just as alone as Harry was before Sirius and Mrs. Weasley took him under their wings. Nico was in the same position as Harry once was, so he decided then and there that he would do what he so dearly wanted someone to do for him back then- be his friend.

Harry smiled, trying to relieve the tension that was laced throughout Nico's body- the poor boy looked ready to bolt!

"Yeah, I don't think that would be a problem," he looked towards his friends beside him; picking up on Ron's incredulous look before continuing. "Let me just clear my plate and we'll get going."

Harry could only hope that this boy he was betting on wasn't really a Death Eater.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico was depressed.

He could tell the second Harry looked up and smiled at him that he had just earned a pity friend.

Again.

Percy was great and all, but Nico could tell by the way he acted around him; always making sure he was eating, constantly hovering over him, forcing himself to be around Nico whenever he was alone- Nico was a job to Percy; an obligation. To Nico Percy was a caretaker, not a friend or just someone to talk to- Percy would always be the person constantly trying to fill in the hole Bianca left inside him. To Nico Percy was just that- a person trying to force himself where he didn't belong; into a hole left empty by someone irreplaceable.

But no matter how much that clawed Nico and, Percy would also always be his hero. Percy would always be who he looked up to as a kid; the strong man who saved the camp and the world on multiple occasions.

And Nico couldn't stop yearning to be more than Percy was willing to give to him.

He clenched his hands into fists as he forced himself to think back to the present.

Harry had most definitely been a great help, having had directed Nico to the shopping square- something Nico would have fucked up immediately.

Sure, he had been to London multiple times when shadow travelling from place to place, but the wizarding place seemed to have their own underground system as Nico learned quickly.

The clothing of the wizarding world was completely different, the dress of the people mostly consisting of long cloaks and dresses; the hats and accessories assorted as all Hades. They even had their own money system! As a child of Hades, Nico was not a stranger to the many types of money around the world for different cultures, but this was nothing he'd ever heard of before; even his experience with drachmas and imperial gold coins didn't compare to this.

Harry had dragged him all over the place. Taking him to clothing stores- if they were even called that in the wizarding world, supply stores filled with cauldrons and potions, and expansive libraries filled to the brim with school books on things like charms and _transfiguration_. (Where he picked up all of his books in ancient Greek).

He was happy to say they had reached their last stop.

Nico looked up at the sign of the store in front of him.

The building was just like all the other ones in the square. Tall, made with dark bricks, and seemingly falling apart at the seams. _Ollivanders_ , Nico read slowly; his dyslexia moving the words around as he tried to read them.

Harry apparently liked this store the best. When Nico asked why he gave the cryptic answer of _because it's definitely memorable_ with what Nico would call a plotting smile.

So, of course, that led Nico to looking above and around him as he walked into the store; infinitely suspicious of anything that would make someone grin like that. He missed his sword already.

Nico's impression of the store was the same as the one he had when he looked at it from the outside. Old, dirty, and falling apart from the weight of age.

An old man- not quite as old as Dumbledore- stood behind the counter of the register; an arrangement of wand boxes plied high behind him, some sticking out haphazardly. A shock of bleach-white hair sticking up all over his head. Nico winced sympathetically. He definitely was in the same boat as the man when it came to the hair department- and he knew it was impossible to tame. When the bell above the door rang, the man looked up; immediately locking eyes with Harry.

"Harry Potter: didn't think you would be coming by my store again any time soon. What? Broke your wand already?"

Harry shook his head, smiling slightly.

"Not quite. My friend Nico here needs a wand before the school year starts up again- year five," at that, the eyes turned their focus to Nico.

"Year five and still without a wand? What a shame."

Nico cleared his throat uncomfortably, having had heard those words multiple times before from his father.

"Yeah."

"No matter. I will find the one just for you," He rushed to the back of the store. Nico and Harry both could see him climb a ridiculously tall ladder up to one of the slots in the shelving. Pulling one out, Ollivander climbed back down quickly; the many years of doing this was evident in the ease in which he did this task. Moving quickly, Mr. Ollivander pulled the wand out of the box and placed it into Nico's hand in a fluid movement.

"Here you are sir: 11 inch elm wood with doxy wing core. This one is reasonably stringy," Ollivander quickly rattled off the information about the wand in Nico's hands before looking eagerly at Nico as if waiting for something to happen.

Nico waited, looking back at Mr. Ollivander with eyes open wide.

"What? Am I supposed to get hit with lightning right about now or something?" Mr. Ollivander looked at the wand with something akin to disappointment, as if he was expecting it to do better.

"No,no this is not the one for you. Trust me when I say you will feel when your wand chooses you. It did for me," Harry said, glancing at Nico with encouragement.

"Yes, this is not the wand for you."

He rushed back to the rear of the store, running his finger along the shelving; feeling for the right wand for Nico.

Mr. Ollivander stopped suddenly, and reached for a wand under his desk.

"This has to be the one; I can feel it."

Nico froze when the wand was set down into his hand, barely aware to Ollivander rattling off the wands statistics in the back of his mind somewhere.

The second the wand met his hands, he could feel it: a rush of electricity that made him shiver roughly. When he said he was going to get hit with lightning he was only kidding, but this was most definitely what that must feel like. A quick rush one second that leaves your ears ringing and you shaking on your feet. This was his wand.

When Nico came back enough to think past the rushing in his head he asked:

"What was this wand again?" He could hear the shakiness of his own voice, but it didn't scare him. He revelled in it like the aftershocks of such a rush of power.

Mr. Ollivander frowned.

"You didn't hear? That wand there consists of the bark of a blackthorn and with dragon heartstring. It is 11 ½ inches with quite a lot of inflexibility, bordering rigidity."

"Oh, okay." Nico was still dealing with the shock. _Was this how Jason felt all the time?_

"I believe that is the one you will be taking?" Mr. Ollivander questioned. At Nico's nod he told Harry the price- something like _Galileo_? Harry handed over a large gold coin to Mr. Ollivander who then put it in the old timey register; a loud _ching_ emitting from it. Nico grabbed the box for his wand and left the store, Harry following right behind him.

Only when they were outside did he realize that the sun was just about going down. Harry made a noise in the back of his throat.

"Guess it's time to lug all of this stuff back to the castle." He turned to Nico as he spoke.

"Guess so."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Percy looked back to the entrance of Camp. The Greek lettering of the arch leading into camp was the catalyst to many memories of the summer; some good, some bad. This time he stood looking at it alone would definitely be chalked down as one of the worse times.

After Rachel told the prophecy Percy gently set her down, having had stood close to her in anticipation of her losing consciousness. After she had passed out, all was quiet; but Percy could still hear the cold, raspy voice of Delphi in his ears; foretelling him of his fate.

 _The king, the boy, the savior of twice,_

 _Hounded by death; the Dark Lord's dice,_

 _Trapped between wars against all advice,_

 _Crushed tightly by the darkest of vice,_

 _One cannot live when the other dies,_

 _One life for the other is the asking price._

 ** _-BWYWB_**


	11. Chapter 10

**_YAY! Another early chapter! You all love me, I know, but it is also my pleasure to thank you all for leaving reviews, favorites, and follows on my story. I was planning to say more and actually had this entire speech planned out in my head... but forgot it all. So without further ado, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave your thoughts and critiques._**

 _Nico lifted himself from bed groggily._

 _The Hades cabin was just as he'd left it: dark and cold with shadows clinging to the walls and floors; each corner of the room serving as its own private little abyss. And although Nico had made his own changes to the cabin so it would look less like Dracula's headquarters and more like a room actually inhabited by a human- or half-human- it would never feel like his own._

 _For Nico, the cabin would forever hold a synthetic feeling to it, but that was okay with him. He never planned on staying, so his cabin served as a harsh reminder to that fact; a reminder that he didn't belong and never would._

 _He swung his feet over the bed, prepared to help himself to the food in the pavilion. Even if he wasn't on actually planning on eating any of it, Nico was sure to continue giving offerings to his father; the burnt food serving as delicacies of the gods._

 _Weirdly enough, Nico seemed to already be fully dressed with his scabbard swinging minutely at his hip. He probably overdid it with the shadow travelling and passed out on his bed before he could strip down to his pyjamas. Not like it hadn't happened before._

 _He steeled himself to leave the cabin, and subject himself to another day of being looked at like he was covered in blood and shit. Nico took a calming breath before swinging the door open wide and stepping out with his head held high._

 _But saw no one._

 _The camp was void of all life._

 _The strong trees that could be seen scattered all across the camp before stood wilted and weak, dead to the point of their leafless branches scraping against the dry grass. The Hades cabin appeared to have died in the course of the few seconds it took Nico to have a swift look around the camp. The marbled walls of the cabin rotting away quickly, as if trying to mimic the state of the people in the god Hades realm- rotting and withered. The other cabins were also in the same state of decompose._

 _He looked around wildly as he felt long fingers cradle his head gently but firmly; as if giving Nico a reminder of the power they had over him in this position. Nico stood stock still and slowly raised his arms towards the gods, biding his time to attack._

" _What a beautiful mind you have here, Prince of the Underworld. Or should I say… king?" The voice was high yet clear, as if the speaker had cleared their throat before speaking. The fingers slithered around his neck and stopped- the sharp nails belonging to the hand resting lightly on his heart. He said nothing._

" _Strange… You are alarmed. I can feel it in your heart," the voice paused. "Why are you afraid boy king? You have killed, you have fought stronger foes than I, and you have watched many a dozen die- horrible deaths caused by you- and yet your heart beats fast in my presence. Why are you afraid? It is you who did all of this after all."_

 _As if flipped on by a hidden switch, the deserted camp suddenly was inhabited._

 _And yet everything around him was still dead._

 _Bodies twisted grotesquely and arms reaching out for salvation._

 _His fault._

 _Eyes open wide to witness just how cruel the fates could be._

 _His fault._

 _Life- blood- drained from their very existence._

 _His fa-_

 _Bringing Hazel back from the void._

 _His grace._

 _Leading the five demigods to the Doors._

 _His triumph._

 _Actually meaning something in his father's eyes._

 _His awakening._

" _Nico!"_

 _He snapped his head up to the source of the disturbance to see a silhouette standing cloaked behind the fog drifting past the camp and the dead, unnatural stillness encompassing it._

 _He couldn't see a face._

 _Nico broke free of the arms holding him back. He ran until the harsh pant of his lungs forced him to stop. He turned back- they were gone, and Nico stood in the same patch of dead grass he saw the silhouette only a moment before. The dead patch of grass exactly adjacent to Cabin no.3._

" _Nico!" The voice beckoned Nico to venture inside the dark cabin that was in the same state as the camp surrounding it._

 _He opened his mouth to speak, to tell the voice to come get him; to bring him back before he destroyed everything._

 _But nothing came out._

Nico's eyes opened to find himself inside the same red room he woke in after arriving at the school for the first time. The mattress beneath him screeching as he rolled off of it only to find himself looking at Harry Potter and the Weasley kid that hates him.

"Yes?" Nico said with eyes squinted from the bright sunlight that was being filtered in from the open window overlooking the European landscape. Harry squirmed uncomfortably.

"Well I _was_ going to wake you up. We need to go down to eat before starting our classes."

"Alright," Nico replied stiffly when Harry continued to stand in front of him even though he was already dressed and ready. Weasley piped up from behind Harry.

"Well? What are you waiting for? You're basically already late."

Nico rolled his eyes at that. _Then why are you too still here?_

"I'm waiting," Nico ground out from behind clenched teeth. "For you two to leave."

At this, Harry put his head down, embarrassed as he shuffled away and out the door. Ron filed out behind him.

That got rid of the main problem, but Nico still had to change in front of all the other stragglers left in the room.

With a sigh, Nico began to prepare for him day

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"Is the boy a threat?"

Albus looked wearily to the sorting hat, a blank look residing on his usually expressive face as he waited tiredly for what information the hat would supply on the enigma that was his newly transferred student.

"He is a demigod, that should be enough to answer your question. Especially with the boy's… _heritage_. He is much too strong to be left unsupervised in the school amongst the other students!"

Dumbledore bristled slightly. "I don't recall leaving him unsupervised- I would trust Severus with my life, left alone the students'."

"He will lead them to us, you do know that Albus!"

"I do; but I refuse to leave him out there for Voldemort to tear into. It is bad enough that he can reach him through his dreams."

"Occlumency?" Dumbledore shook his head at the word.

"Not effective within a demigod's mind. Occlumency is from the wizarding world; a demigod's mind is the realm of Hypnos. We cannot pass magic through there," His brows furrowed before he continued to speak. "But you did say the dreams would not change him, did you not?"

The hat smiled through the seams in the cloth. "I did. I had looked into his mind the day he was sorted. He is too afraid of people believing he is evil to ever try to cross the path of the Death Eaters."

"But is that fear really enough to keep others from believing otherwise?"

"It will have to."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry fidgeted uncomfortable in his seat, ears burning at the feeling of an intense gaze settling on him.

And he knew exactly who it was.

Professor Umbridge seemed to have made it her utmost priority to "keep an eye on" the golden trio and watch their every move; like if she were to look away for a minute they would run off to alert every student attending Hogwarts of Voldemort's revival. And although Harry had been trying to do just that for more than half of his summer, it didn't look like anyone was all the more eager to listen to what he had to say. No, the Daily Prophet continued to spin its tales; speaking of how Harry imagined Voldemort in the Triwizard Maze to cope with witnessing Cedric's death firsthand, and some articles even claiming that Voldemort appeared to Harry as a result of the guilt he held in his heart for murdering Cedric.

They were vultures, the whole lot of them just waiting to find a fresh wound in Harry and tear into it.

And Umbridge was exactly the same.

Although she wore a bright smile while sitting on the High Table with the rest of the teachers, Harry knew he wasn't the only one who could see the way that very same smile seemed to cut off right before reaching her eyes. Her bright pink outfit was an oxymoron when paired with the bad omen that was Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Everyone in the Great Hall could tell that she didn't belong in Hogwarts. Not for long.

Harry's thoughts were cut off at the sound of panicked whispering near the end of the Gryffindor table.

A small huddle of third years could be seen talking amongst themselves quietly. Harry recognized them as the few stragglers that were still asleep when he and Ron left Nico to go downstairs. They were excited; Harry could tell by the way they seemed to talk with their hands in the heat of the discussion. Harry wished he had Fred and George's extendable ears at the moment, for all he could catch of the conversation was in snippets.

"Did you see… Draco… cornered… di Angelo kid… goonies… didn't look good," the boy Harry had his eyes on said, giving the friends around him a conspiratorial look before speaking again.

"What I think… di Angelo… -Know-Who… Draco too… meeting up later. After classes… dismissed."

"Harry?"

Harry decided that he'd heard enough from the boys as he turned to look at Hermione, a faux interested look plastered on his face. It was better than the guilty look he would have been sporting that spoke numbers about what he was keeping from his two best friends.

"Yes?" Harry said in the exact same tone he had heard from Nico only a few minutes earlier.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron snort from beside Harry. "I was saying that if we really want to pass our O.W.L.s, it would be best to start studying now," Hermione said in the voice that implied she really was talking about Harry and Ron because she already knew everything there was to know, but still insisted on studying because 1) it made Harry and Ron feel better about themselves, and 2) it gave her the much needed time she needed to stay the top witch in all of her classes.

"Okay," Harry replied in the voice that he used to appease Hermione, although they both knew he really wasn't going to find the time to because that was just how Harry Potter's life worked. And it was true every time.

Hermione sighed as the 8:55 bell rung, alerting them that they had five minutes to wrap up all eating and head to their classes.

In the case of the trio, it was off to Potions- A.K.A.: every Gryffindor's least favorite class, and every Slytherin's favorite.

With one last sigh made in unison, the trio made their way out of the Great Hall en route to the Dungeons of Hogwarts.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Percy Jackson looked up towards the vast sky, searching for the constellation of an ally that left the world much sooner than Percy would have liked. But even as he looked up into that star-filled sky, his head was racing as his thoughts ran farther away from him than his heart beat ever could.

He was out of New York; having had said his goodbyes to his mom and Paul. (More like a see you later- his mom always thought goodbyes were for people who didn't come back; something she would always tell him when he left for a quest, usually followed up with a "goodbyes are for the dying, Percy", and a meaningful look).

But even with him being out in a field somewhere in Maryland, Percy couldn't shake the gut feeling that he should be somewhere farther; someplace where he could see Nico with his own eyes; happy and unharmed.

And yet his thoughts went even farther. To what would happen when Nico finally did come back home to Camp with Percy.

Would he be happy to be back in the familiar surroundings, or would he go back to how he was before he disappeared?

Would he be the silent Nico that ate with his head down in the dining pavilion- if he even ate at all- or would he be the excited, curious-to-the-point-of-annoyance, preteen that hadn't yet seen the full wrath of the cruel, relentless fates?

Would that Nico ever come back again? Would Nico- in all shapes and forms- ever feel the full force of home in his life again?

So there Percy sat, looking up to the sky with tears gathering in his eyes.

No matter what form Nico came in, Percy would always be there to pick up any falling pieces. Because Nico was his job now; his job and his cousin.

 _ **-NoLabel**_


	12. Chapter 11

_**This is WELL overdue chapter. I am honestly so sorry about not updating for almost a month, but with all the testing going on around school, I just found myself slowly sinking into piles of homework. I will probably still maintain an erratic posting schedule because I am not yet done with testing- BUT- when summer break comes, I will hopefully be able to pick my old schedule back up.**_

The twisted halls and stairways completely crowded the space of the school; reminding Nico vaguely of his time in the Labyrinth with Minos. Rather, he was now in a magic school, surrounded on all sides by some spoiled rich kid and his posse.

Nico settled into his seat in the dungeons of the magic school, the boy with the bleach-blond hair, Draco, plopping down beside him; his two minions sitting only a few seats away. He scoffed quietly as the room fell silent shortly after his entrance.

The gossip curling itself around the school served as a source of great anxiety for Nico. It was bad enough that ever since the day of the Sorting the teachers seemed to look at him with something akin to caution and barely contained weariness, but he still found himself unable to recall all of what happened after he put on the hat. Only an extremely sore body, a trip to the infirmary, and a lasting place in Gryffindor tower.

He took a look around the classroom, shocked to find that it wasn't really as big as it looked from the outside.

There were shelves along each of the many walls of the dungeon. Glass jars of varied heritage stood on every nook and cranny of the classroom, some holding clear liquids, and some holding severed body parts of creatures in their murky depths.

The metal door to the dungeons was whipped open and slammed shut as a blur of black fabric swept into the classroom before coming to a stop at the front of the class.

Nico immediately recognized him as one of the teachers he spied sitting at the table with the old man before he was sorted. The teacher- Snape- as he remembered hearing a few fifth years whispering about conspiratorially earlier, locking eyes with Nico before looking around the classroom with an air of disgust about him.

"For those of you who don't know the way this works here, know this: I will not stand to watch you stupidly wave your wands around without purpose. You will use your mind in my class, or you will lose your house points," He turned his gaze to Harry. "Especially you Potter. You may be a Gryffindor and everyone's Golden Boy, but I will not stand for your ignorance," Nico heard him finish in his nasally voice.

Turning back minutely in his seat, Nico could see Harry's clenched fists from under the table he sat; knuckles white with the stress he was putting on the pale skin. He smirked.

Nico couldn't tell if he liked this guy or hated him. But apparently the Fates would be deciding for him.

"What are you grinning about di Angelo? If you are beginning to believe my class will be simple, you are oh so wrong."

Nico seethed quietly from his seat, sending tiny daggers of hate at Snape's back even after he continued his rant about how the education of other schools weren't what they once were and about how no antics would be tolerated in his classroom. (And you tell that to those brothers of yours Weasley!)

It was settled: hate it is.

"As it is the first day of potions for some of you, I will start with a simple potion. It is called the Draught of Peace."

Hermione's hand went up.

"But Professor, isn't that a potion of advanced level difficulty?"

"For _some_ it will be. But for those who can recite the instructions and repeat the instruction of the brew, this will be quite simple. Do you doubt that you follow simple instructions Miss Granger?" Snape questioned through clenched teeth.

"W-well, of course not! I was just asking in case you made a mistake is all!" Hermione spluttered, blush engulfing her face. Nico cringed sympathetically.

"Oh- so you believe that I am one to make mistakes Miss Granger?" the Professor said, turning to face her fully. Hermione shook her head furiously; brown curls flying everywhere. "No? Then I expect silence from you." Her mouth clamped shut. He turned to the class once again.

"Well? Move along, the potion must be completed by the end of this class period. Any questions?" Hermione's hand shot up. "No? Okay, get started."

Nico wasn't as fazed by the professor's behavior as the other first years. He had Mr. D as camp director, after all.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Percy tossed the coin into the light spray of water; watching as the coin sunk into the rainbow.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering: show me Hades, god of the Underworld,"

The mist shimmered brightly before fading out into an image. Hades sat tall on his throne, the souls of the damned writhing, tortured, in the silk of his gown. His dark eyes shifted to Percy's condescendingly.

"Lord Hades, I need your help"

"I suspect it has something to do with my son's disappearance?"

Percy paused. He didn't seem at all worried that his son had been swept away to another world that no gods could venture to?

"Yes! Aren't you worried? We need to find him!" Percy said desperately; Hades face morphing into a cold smirk.

"We? Oh my _dear_ nephew- I know where he is! I sent him there myself!"

"What? He's not safe! He needs me there! I need to save h-!"

"No! No you do not!" Hades interrupted Percy, eyes blazing. "My son is not yours to save; this hero complex of yours is really grating! My son will bring back the cowardly sinner, and whether it is dead or alive he will return to my realm to serve his duties as my son!"

"Do you even care about what that would do to Nico? He can't kill anyone- not again!"

"The... incident with… the boy was merely justice. The roman praetors would have put him on trial and kill him either way. Nico should feel no guilt over killing a killer. Which is exactly what he will be doing for me," Hades spoke firmly; rising from his throne to stand before Percy's shimmering form. "Go back to camp boy, Nico is fine."

Percy stood his ground.

"Tell me then Lord Hades, why do you feel the need to justify yourself to me?"

A hand swept through the mist and the call ended.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico glared down into the murky cup of tea in front of him. He found himself unable to actually pay attention to what Professor Trelawney was saying, the events from the class period before confusing him to no end.

 _Professor Snape bent down and examined Nico's potion; now turning a sickly grey color. "Humph. You've added too much moonstone Mr. di Angelo. Empty out your cauldron."_

 _Nico rose from his seat, cheeks and ears colored red from anger and embarrassment as other students watched him dump out his potion and sit back down; ignoring the sympathetic look shot at him from Harry. He'd been told to pour out his potion by Snape only a few minutes earlier, but Nico would not budge. He didn't want his pity._

" _Hey di Angelo," Draco stage-whispered from beside Nico. "My offer still stands you know; if you take it, guys like Snape wouldn't be able to say shit to you in the end."_

" _The end of what?"_

 _A weird expression settled on his face before disappearing behind his usual cocky smirk._

" _... The end of this shit!" Draco whispered angrily. "The end of being second to all the golden boys and good girls! We can change the ruling order; but only if you join us."_

Nico startled when he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

"Look at the cup, tell me what you see!" Professor Trelawney said excitedly.

"Uhm… I see," Nico fumbled over his words, having not payed attention to her slow approach. "A… cross?" He looked up at her uncertainly, not quite positive that the grainy substance in the dirty teacup had an actual shape to it.

She looked down at him, her eyes seemingly enlarged because of her glasses. "Hand me the cup."

Nico passed on the cup unwaveringly, having not seen anything of importance within the cup's contents.

"Mhm… yes, the cross: a symbol of trials and hardships. The skull… are you strong enough to fight the falcon?"

"What?" Her words sounded too close to a prophecy for his liking. And the skull… was it an illusion to his father?

"The falcon will bring the skull and the cross with him. Are you prepared to fight him? Even if it means taking a life already lost?" Nico unconsciously leaned away from Trelawny, her wide eyes and blank gaze leaving him feeling threatened; as if the fates were right in front of him, warning him.

He stayed silent, staring her down with dark eyes as if she were the fates themselves.

"Yes."

As if a switch was turned on, Professor Trelawney straightened up to full height; wide, confused eyes roaming the classroom before stopping on Nico once again.

"Did you say something, Dear?"

"No. Nothing at all."

He saw something flicker in her eyes for a second- but he blinked and it was gone.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry heaved himself out of Professor McGonagall's classroom tiredly. In the short time that he found himself in his classes, he had already ruined his Draught of Peace, transfigured his ruby into a giant ladybug, gotten snapped at by a Chinese snapping cabbage, and last but definitely not least been told that someone near him would die soon- and he still had Professor Umbridge's class next morning… with the O.W.L.s coming up.

Ugh. Harry heaved out a sigh of relief at the knowledge that the day was over and supper was coming up quickly. If only he could find Ron and Hermione-

"For the last time: my answer's still no!"

Harry froze. It sounded like Nico…

"Well I can't have that answer!"

… And Draco?

Harry silently hid behind one of the great columns concealing Nico and Draco; secretly wishing that he had his invisibility cloak with him at the moment.

"I don't want to be the evil one anymore," Harry heard Nico state firmly, although he could hear the shakiness hidden in his facade.

"The evil one?" Draco scoffed incredulously. "You'll be a lot more than the evil one if news about what you are gets out- and I am willing to spill such information."

Harry heard a scuffle followed by a harsh thud.

"If you are aware of _what_ and _who_ I am, you should know not to threaten me boy. I am old enough to be your granddad and helluva stronger than your "Dark Lord"- coward," Nico spoke, his voice dangerously low.

"My father will hear about this! You will regret what you've done- freak!" Draco shoved Nico back and fled, black cloak billowing as he stalked passed Harry; cleverly hidden behind another column near him. He heard Nico sigh.

"Fuck."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

 _He was in an ugly room._

 _The entirety of the room was painted in a bright baby pink. From American Bobtail to Siamese, the room was covered in frames of many cats; moving in and out of the frames and meowing loudly._

 _But most of Percy's attention was drawn to the large woman seated at the center of the room, pink also making up the entirety of her outfit and what looked like a bright pink toad sat precariously on her head as an accessory- or was it a rose?_

 _A knock at the door took priority over what she was wearing, and they both turned to the door, though only one spoke._

" _Come in!"_

 _The door slowly opened, revealing that the meeting was taking place in the middle of the night. A bright shock of neatly trimmed blonde hair stuck through the door._

" _Professor Umbridge?"_

" _Yes, yes: Come in now."_

" _It's about Nico," the teen said, eyes suddenly turning an icy gray. "He refused and I don't think he will be going along with the plan anytime soon."_

 _Umbridge smiled. "Look. You told me that you'd find a way to get this- abomination out of the wizarding world- out of Hogwarts- for good. So I agreed. But your leader told you the boy either joins- or we get him out of picture. I'm leaning towards option two."_

" _Don't get me wrong, I want him gone too- and Potter- but I can't do it with his powers being the threat they are; no one is strong enough to fight him without wielding the powers that the old cook has."_

" _Draco, dear! That is why we are having this meeting," Her smile grew. "I have a plan."_

 _Percy watched on in horror, unable to stop the evil going on in front of him; he could only pray to the gods still listening that they wouldn't allow Nico to die._

 ** _Hope you enjoyed that very late chapter._** ** _-BWYWB_**


	13. Chapter 12

" _HARRY!"_

 _It isn't real,_ Harry thought manically, bolting up from his bed. _It's all a dream, and your head's just messing with you. Only a dream._

Harry forced his breathing to slow down, his frantic heartbeat doing more bad than good. The vivid flashes of his most recent nightmare weren't helping either.

Sirius sitting in a chair, surrounded by glowing lights. A wand. A spell. Screaming. And Harry wasn't so sure anymore.

He'd always gotten nightmares, even as a kid; constantly having to watch his parents die, sitting and watching over and over again, unable to do anything.

But this was different.

He had more to lose now; and dead parents that were already gone was not one of them. Especially with everything going to shit.

"You okay?" Harry turned to dark eyes; his roommate looking at him over his book. _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5._

"Nightmare," Harry said, waving his hand dismissively, although he could still hear Sirius's screams ringing in his ears. "You?"

"Not tired," Nico replied calmly, even though Harry could clearly see the dark circles etched on his face from his bed almost halfway across the room.

"Sure."

Nico shrugged.

"What'd you see?"

"Only the usual dark threat looming over you and those you love. You know: the usual."

"Mm… all in a day's work as the Golden Boy, isn't it?" Nico replied almost bitterly; looking down at his bright red bed sheets. "But it's worth it; worth the love and praise you get after putting your life on the line… must be nice."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean. I'm not exactly one of the best and most of the wizarding world at the moment. Unless you count being a called a liar and murderer love and praise."

Nico paused; opening and closing his mouth almost comically as he attempted to come up with a response. "Never mind." He shut his book closed with an audible _click_ and laid back down onto his bed; wrapping his sheets around him in a way that only dark tufts of his hair stuck out. "Night."

Harry paused before speaking.

"Hey, Nico." The red blob on the bed tensed. "If what I'm seeing is true, I want to know I have someone who'll be there when I go after him. Because i won't- can't hesitate knowing that he's in this mess because of me. I can't stand it." There was a heavy silence; save for their breathing and the snores of some of the other boy's in the dormitory.

"I will."

The two words were barely audible; but seemed to reverberate within Harry's ears. A tired smile crept across his face.

"Goodnight, Nico."

Nico listened in the dark, waiting for Harry's breathing to even out before truly thinking about the decision he had made and the recompense of them. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to pay the price of them.

With that thought, he followed Harry into slumber; two uneasy minds at rest.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry lay awake in bed. The boy's dormitory was empty, save for one Harry Potter and company.

Nico and Harry were one of the few students without signed permission slips for the near-monthly trip to Hogsmeade. He usually would have had Sirius sign his, but with his godfather having gone MIA, and Harry left with no means of contacting him, he had no choice but to stay behind for the day; Hermione and Ron staying behind in camaraderie.

And Nico… well Harry didn't know much about Nico. Without the obvious factor of anyone close to him being unaware of his location, Harry sometimes wondered if Nico even had anyone looking out for him; especially with the way he didn't even seem to be expecting anyone to come.

So there they were; Hermione sitting on a bed across from both Harry and Ron, too uncomfortable with the idea of sitting on the same bed in a boy's dormitory, but at the same time resigned to the fact that both Harry and Ron were too lazy to move from their places on their respective beds.

Nico sat one the same bed he spoke with Harry with the night before; nose once again in his book, and covers pulled closely around him despite the warmth of the castle walls. He hadn't gone down to the Great Hall for breakfast unlike the trio, who had eaten a hefty meal before going back up and melting into their beds. (Or in Hermione's case, Neville's) But Nico hadn't moved since he'd woken up; mouth drawn tightly shut as he read as if fending off an onslaught of food from reaching his mouth.

It was a bit worrying.

"Hey, Nico. What language is the book in?"

Nico didn't even look up from his book before replying in a dull voice: "Greek"

Hermione perked up. "Greek?" She took a longer look at the book. "That doesn't look like Greek. I've seen a book on it in the library, so I know." Hermione finished with a look akin to pride on her face.

"You're right. It's Ancient Greek."

"Why Ancient Greek?" Hermione asked; the only one who voiced the question they were all thinking.

"Because it is one of two languages that I can read without my dyslexia jumbling the letters."

"What's the other one?" Hermione said, leaning slightly closer to Nico on her spot on the bed.

"Latin."

"Of course! No wonder you can cast spells easily with you little experience, and in perfect pronunciation! I was worried that you read more about than me with the way you always have your nose in a book," Hermione spoke with a genuinely relieved expression on her face.

"Well I guess this settles that then," Nico replied, his voice drenched in sarcasm.

An awkward silence settled over the room at the silence, but Nico didn't seem to notice. Harry decided it would be good a time as any to discuss the elephant in the room.

"So… you three are the only ones I've told about my visions, and I know that you guys will be there if I get the slightest hunch that Sirius is in trouble. I know I have my visions, but I can't always be sure they are 100 percent true, especially since Dumbledore and Snape both agree that occlumency is the best option," Harry declared somberly, looking at each of them in turn as he spoke. Nico had put his book down at some point, and was now looking at Harry, blank-faced.

"Of course you're right Harry. How else could you have known about my dad being attacked?" Ron commented loudly, speaking up as if defending Harry's honor.

"Dumbledore said it's Voldemort's way of getting into my head; blurring the line between fantasy and reality. If that's what he's playing: it's working."

"To hell what they say, Harry! What do you think is real? We'll follow you either way!" Hermione vocalized, looking at Nico as if expecting him to object.

Harry shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

"Not yet," Hermione said assertively, and Harry wasn't sure whether to be relieved or anxious.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Percy walked aimlessly down the border of camp, the silky sand of the beach slipping through his bare toes.

It was calming scene: Poseidon's son walking along the calming waves, shoes in hand, with a bright strawberry field in the distance.

But Percy had given up.

After Hades refused to tell Percy where Nico was, he headed back to regroup. But after months of no contact from Nico or any sign that Nico was actually _okay_ , Percy gave up; knowing that without Hades to tell him where Nico was, he'd be running around blindly, useless to Nico.

The other campers told him not to worry, that Nico was fine and that he was probably tucked away in some remote place in the world by Hades; if only to wait out the inevitable shit storm that's sheaded towards him.

Percy doubted it.

When he Iris Messaged Hades, and spoke with him, he saw many emotions in the god's stormy eyes, but that one that got to him the most was the fear.

Hades feared for his son's life, but waded in too deep, and left Nico's life in the hands of the fates, and whatever fucked up monster Nico found on the other side of here.

But as most gods, he was too stubborn, too prideful to admit it, and send his own and only son help. His _SON!_

Percy grabbed a stone and threw it at the water; looking on as it pierced the sea's surface and sunk below. He grabbed a larger stone this time and reared his arm back; gearing up for the throw- when a glimmer caught his attention.

He dropped the rock carelessly, paying little to no attention to the dull _thud_ it made when it hit the sand.

The Iris Message was shaky, as if fighting to stay visible. Percy could clearly spot out Nico, but he was unable to recognize any of the people around his cousin. So he looked into their surroundings, only seeing standard twin beds with red sheeting. Percy could not find any symbols in the room except for the crests on the coats of the other individuals in the room, but they too were too small to see and distinguish.

Percy called Nico's name to the slowly fading image hopefully, before quickly realizing that Nico couldn't hear him, and registering the fact that he was _so_ _close, so close_ to his cousin, but wa snow losing him- again.

The Iris Message completely faded out to black; a series of tiny Greek letterings and numbers taking the place of his cousin and his location. Percy translated it easily; the letters falling into place on their own.

 _Hogwarts Castle, Scotland (48, -6)_

Percy read the message again and again even as it faded; attempting to sear it into his brain no matter how much he knew he wouldn't be able to.

He hitched his shoes up and slung them over his shoulder; preparing to run to his cabin and copy down the message before he forgot it, but more characters ran across the mist.

 _Save my child from the mistakes I have made, and the Fates wishes- hurry._

Percy froze in disbelief for a moment; before running back to his cabin; hope once again in his heart.

 _Stay put Nico: I'm coming…_

 _ **Mwahaha! Percy's coming, and we all know that I am definitely not nice enough to let Nico sit nice and pretty in Hogwarts, so yeah... review? Follow? Favorite? Hug?**_

 _ **-NoLabel**_


	14. Chapter 13

_**I know this chapter is somewhat late, but I also knew that if I didn't get it done know, I probably wouldn't get it done at all. So yeah another LATE chapter (in both ways). Enjoy!**_

Draco crept silently through the halls; a part of him silently wondering why he was even trying to be quiet. Despite the fact that it was well into the middle of the night, he knew that even if Filch caught him Umbridge would easily use her authority to silence the squib; especially with Dumbledore on the run from the Ministry. Draco smirked to himself, wishing the night would pass quickly once he slept; with knowledge of what would happen in the morning, he practically skipped back to his bed. He couldn't wait…

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico swept his eyes over the wide expanse of the Great Hall. He felt a buzz in the air that only seemed to grow as more students realized it; some aware of the reason for why, and some only caught up in the atmosphere the buzz seemed to create.

Nico was the latter. But unlike the majority of his classmates, Nico recognized the buzz, and was made weary by it.

He could easily recognize the excited, yet terrified buzz of a battle yet to come from his many years as a demigod, but why there would be any sort of battle taking place in the school when all Nico had seen so far were a few brawls between friends and peers was beyond him. Nico turned to the trio of friends beside him to alert them of his intuitions, but closed his mouth at the sight of Harry speaking animatedly to Hermione and Ron; a smile nearly splitting his face.

Nico felt guilty then. Why should he interrupt Harry's good mood- which, with the current events unfolding around him, was rarely genuine- just because the death-freak had to spaz out about the fucking _atmosphere_ of the room?

He decided then that he would keep an eye out for the time being, and inform Harry and the rest of the trio of his suspicions when he felt he could no longer ignore the feeling in his gut.

With his mind made up, Nico turned his attention to sifting through and weeding out any students that he felt were up to no good- only coming up with the Weasley twins (obviously) and Draco and his posse- A.K.A, the usual lineup. So basically nothing.

Nico sighed, mussing up his hair as if to relieve the extreme paranoia and stress of the situation. He would just ignore it then- problem solved.

 _If only it were that easy,_ Nico thought bitterly as the bell rang for all students to go to their classes; throwing away his barely touched food as Ron watched, incredulous.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry shot a furtive glance at Nico, noticing that it was at least the tenth time that he'd seen Nico readjust his quill to a different location on his desk. He knew that History of Magic was one of the most boring classes, and he also knew about Nico's ADD and ADHD, but seeing as how Nico's leg was bouncing at speeds rivaling the Golden Snitch, Harry had to admit he was a bit worried. He leaned over and tapped Nico's shoulder lightly.

"Nico. You okay?"

Nico eyes swiveled to his, an annoyed look on his face.

"What else would I be?" He snapped harshly, on guard, before slumping in his seat. "Sorry. Didn't get much sleep last night." Sure. Sleep. And the whole barely-eating-ever-thing wasn't also a problem?

"Nico…," He started, drawing Nico's name out as a parent would do. "What is it? Come on, spit it out; you've been acting weird all morning."

If possible, Nico's face grew wearier; deep lines in his face making him look ten years older.

"It's… it's nothing. Don't worry about it, okay?" Nico said firmly, as if convincing himself as opposed to Harry.

"But-"

"No. This conversation is over." Nico finished the discussion- if you can even call it that- and turned away, practically twisting his entire body away from Harry.

"Okay. Great talk," Harry whispered to himself petulantly, unable to notice the unusual glare Draco was giving to Nico, who was too caught up in tidying up the meager number of items on his desk to notice the intense stare.

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked Harry quietly, having had witnessed the dialogue between the two.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. He's says he just needs some sleep, but I seriously doubt that it's the only reason," He continued mindlessly, thinking aloud to Hermione.

"Harry… you don't think that he's reconsidering his involvement in the plan now, do you? I mean, it would make sense: he is on probation with suspicions of being a Death Eater. He shouldn't _be_ getting involved with us."

Harry shook his head adamantly. "No. Nico doesn't seem like the type to go back on something as big as this; we'll be breaking into the ministry: I don't think it gets any bigger than that!" Harry replied; whispering agitatedly.

"How do you know what kind of person he is Harry? He hasn't said a thing about his past from the time he'd arrived and doesn't look willing to open up anytime soon!"

"Why are you having a row with me? It's like I'm the only one here who actually trying to keep from being a complete ass to someone I've just barely met!"

Hermione reeled back as if slapped, face falling for a moment before swelling up with anger. "Listen closely Harry Potter, because I don't think you quite understand," Hermione uttered calmly, even though Harry knew that she was furious inside. "We- are your friends; have been for years, and as your friend I am going to warn you. Nico? Is someone we know nothing about. We have not the slightest idea where he came from, or if there is a family out there for him- and we will probably never find out! So don't come crying to me when he bites, and you're the one bleeding."

Only a few words, and Harry was left staring at Hermione's back. Ron shared a look with him, but not the one expected: he was siding with Hermione.

Whatever.

He turned back to the lesson at hand, distracted, Binns seemingly unaware of the angrily whispered argument that had taken place in the back of his classroom.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

A look was exchanged between the small group; the tension within their circle thick enough to cut with a knife. But they weren't fighting- no- they were waiting.

Draco smirked to himself for the third time that day- he really was in a good mood, wasn't he?- and waited for their plan to unfold.

 _Only one more period…_ perfect.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

 _Only one more period…_ Nico encouraged himself weakly. He shuffled to his seat in the far corner of the classroom, and dropped down into it unceremoniously.

He felt like shit, and had no doubts that he looked like it too; if the worried looks Harry constantly shot him was anything to go by.

His head was pounding, and Nico was pretty sure that the slowly rising nausea in his gut was a surefire sign that the potions classroom would soon be the dumping grounds of his stomach's contents. But the constant mantra of _don't you fucking dare throw up in front of these people_ and the thought of sinking into his soft, warm, bed gave him the strength to refrain from yelling screw it and catching up on the sleep he'd been missing out on for the past few days.

"Mister di Angelo! With the grades you have in my class, I wasn't aware you possessed the confidence to fall asleep within the first ten minutes of potions!

Nico's head shot up from where it was resting on his hands; an acceptable substitute for the bed he so lovingly crafted in his head as he slept.

"Hmm?" He half-grumbled, every other part of him too busy attempting to scrounge up enough information on how and when he'd fallen asleep to even attempt expressing his annoyance at being woken up.

Snape huffed audibly, looking up to the gods as if asking them what he had done in his past life to deserve his very own version of Tartarus. "Are you really so simple minded as to not even recall the situation you put yourself in? Forty points from Gryffindor."

"Hey!" Harry piped up from where he sat closer to the front of the room; partly blaming himself for not paying close enough attention to Nico to realize that he had fallen asleep. "Isn't it obvious enough that he isn't feeling well?" Harry ranted, knowing full well that he'd most likely be walking away from the exchange with a detention.

Nico and Snape's eyes to snapped to Harry; both betrayed and annoyed glares marring their features.

"As much as we all value you as Hogwart's own personal celebrity, your input is most invaluable at the moment."

Harry's mouth snapped shut.

Snape turned to Nico with a critical eye, the awkward silence residing in his stare giving him enough time to quietly asses the boy in his classroom.

"… Fall asleep during my class again, and you will be losing more than the eighty points you and Mister Potter earned collectively," Snape said finally, cloak sweeping back around to the board with the listed ingredients written in his curly script once again.

Harry and Nico both released a sigh of relief as Snape went back to the lesson at hand without pause.

The remainder of the class finished uneventfully, and as per usual with Harry and Ron both earning failing grades on their potions while Hermione passed with flying color.

As the class filed out of the potion's dungeon, Nico let out an involuntary shiver, tiny beads of sweat gathering on his brow from the small amount of movement; Professor Snape watching him exit with a deep frown on his face.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Umbridge waited giddily in her classroom for the students to arrive.

Although she knew she wouldn't be getting any gifts from any of the students or teachers, she also knew that getting rid of that tainted half-blood boy would be gift enough for her.

Her own personal Christmas miracle.

 _THIS IS A LINE (LATER)_

Harry heaved a sigh of relief as he officially finished the day along with Hermione and Ron, subconsciously wishing he could say the same about Nico; who had been forced to stay behind after class with Umbridge to speak with her.

He shouldn't have expected it to be so cut and dry; he was Harry Potter after all.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Professor Snape closed the door behind him loudly, and started speaking; uncaring of whether or not Albus had actually said "come in" or not- the man had probably already predicted Snape dropping by anyways.

"I have reason to believe that one of our students are under the influence of a potion, but whether it is in fact a potion or a hex, I am unsure.'

Albus looked up from his papers calmly; setting his quill down softly before speaking. "And which one of our students is it?" The headmaster asked, as if telling the professor a joke. "Is it Nico? Harry?"

"I believe it is Nico, but I cannot think of anyone who would gain from placing him under such an insignificant influence."

The older man looked up at his pupils through the glasses resting on his crooked nose.

"Can you really not think of anyone?"

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Umbridge bent down to meet the eye level of the student lying crumpled on her classroom floor. The mere blast of the spell should have knocked him out immediately, but for some reason, the damn kid was still awake; looking at her with a confused, glazed over look- product of the potion running through his veins.

"…What… why are you… doing this?" Nico forced out through gritted teeth. His body was paralyzed from the initial blast of the spell, but he hadn't yet succumbed to the darkness on the fringes of his vision. Not until he took this bitch down.

"Are the obvious reasons not as obvious as I thought? I don't want you here. With the definite unpredictability of your powers- the darkness they hold- I can't stand to have you at _my_ school. Or at least it will be once I…" Umbridge continued to speak, more to herself than Nico; the shadows crawling slowly up the walls going unnoticed to her.

Nico strained to stay awake with the amount of effort he was putting into both ignoring Umbridge's monologue and releasing just enough of his powers to cause damage without the bitch noticing him and putting a stop to his work.

"What in the bloody hell are those!"

Nico's nose cursed internally at the sound of the eternally disgusted-sounding voice that belonged to Draco Malfoy himself.

He heard the click of shoes as both Umbridge and Draco moved towards the impossibly black tendrils of shadow Nico had created with the last bursts of his strength.

"It seems…" Nico heard the shoes move back to him. "That Mr. di Angelo here has bought himself a one-way trip to Azkaban. You sir, have broken your probation," Nico released his powers on the room then; Umbridge's sickly-sweet voice and smile the last thing he saw before the darkness took over his vision.

 ** _OOOOH, CLIFFY! Until then I guess?_**

 _ **-NoLabel**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**I have to admit this guys- this chapter made me really happy, and although-once again- it is late, I still love it like our very own ghost king. I refuse to give anything away, so I'll just let you read it. B.T.W., from this point on, the book and this fic will have some similarities, but I basically make shit up from now on. (Oh calm down, it won't be that bad.)**_

The large oak wood desk crashed to the ground, the perpetrators of its fall, Crabbe and Goyle, standing directly behind it.

"Crabbe! Goyle! I thought we all agreed that the desk would be last. Someone was bound to hear that!" Draco unceremoniously kicked over a desk, now moving at much faster pace to destroy the room around Nico.

"Yeah, but we're practically done; I mean, look around- wasn't it enough that he already burnt most of the room with his creepy-ass powers _way_ before we even touched anything?!"

Draco stalked up to Crabbe, a shake evident in his voice as he spoke. "If we don't get Nico to Him by midnight tonight, getting expelled from Hogwarts is the least of our worries. This needs to go off without a hitch, and if knocking over some desks will ensure that, I will knock over as many as it will take."

"Now that's the kind of attitude I want from my diligent workers."

"Umbridge," Draco looked over her face, a dark bruise already blossoming just under the shallow cut on her cheek. He pointed. "He got you good?"

She swiped the stray hairs out of her face before speaking, an unusually sweet smile planted on her face. "I wouldn't quite say that, but that is beside the point: Professor Snape will be coming to take Nico down to the dungeons until his extraction date." Her smile grew wider. "But of course, we all know that he won't be here by the time the extraction date is upon us. Correct?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. He should be gone by midnight- you'll make sure that we can get him out?"

"Please," the Professor said, her high-pitched laugh bubbling forth as she doubled over. "I would hand him over myself if I wasn't worried about being caught."

"Alright," Draco said with a grimace. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, but his family's head was on the line, all because his father's pride was too strong to admit that he couldn't do the job himself. "Well we're done here. Crabbe. Goyle."

The trio walked out of the classroom, needing to be gone by the time Snape arrived, and in their own common room before the news hit the school.

THIS IS A LINE

Harry shifted uncomfortably where he sat between Lee and Neville. Hermione and Ron were summoned to meet with Professor McGonagall as the prefects of Gryffindor house for reasons unknown, and Harry was left in the rapidly filling common room, alone, and wondering where the hell Nico was. He leaned over to speak with Neville, who was twiddling his fingers nervously and muttering under his breath.

"Uh, Neville? Are you alright?"

He looked up at Harry with a look akin to one you would receive from a deer in headlights.

"Harry… you don't think this whole meeting Professor McGonagall called is about Dumbledore's army? Have we been caught? Are we in trouble? Did someone sell us out?"

Harry froze up, having not been prepared for the deluge of questions that Neville shot at him.

"I, uh, I don't really know," Harry said quietly with a small shrug. He felt useless in the current situation, and hated it.

"Oh. Okay." Neville had a weird look on his face. "Well, it'll be okay, Harry. We'll find out what's going on soon enough." Harry was lost.

"Are you trying to… comfort me?"

"… Yes," Neville finalized, a determined look on his face. He slapped a hand over Harry's shoulder awkwardly, a timid grin growing.

"Gryffindors! If you could all settle down and speak quietly amongst yourselves it would be much appreciated. You can all head down to the dining hall after this routine headcount." Professor McGonagall's voice rose above all of the others in the Gryffindor common room.

Harry and Neville frowned. Headcounts were not common thing in Hogwarts, and Harry was pretty sure that everyone else in the room knew it; that particular fact sticking out like a sore thumb.

And the three other Professors seeming to flank McGonagall on each side were also subjects of concern for Harry. Flitwick, Sprout, and Snape all stood stoically with Minerva, even the usually laid-back teachers like Flitwick and Sprout looked tensed and guarded, as if waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and attack.

Professor McGonagall made brief eye contact with Harry before looking away quickly to scan the rest of the room and its students, an indistinguishable look on her face.

One that did not unnoticed by Harry.

He jumped up from his seat as if stung, throwing an apologetic wave at Neville for startling him.

"Professor? Nico's not here."

The deputy Headmistress flinched slightly as if struck.

"Yes. We are aware of this, and are looking into it," The rehearsed lines falling easily off her tongue. Harry wasn't buying it.

"Professor?" Harry's voice took on an edge of urgency.

Snape turned his head sharply to face Harry along with McGonagall and the other two professors.

"May I speak with you-" A glance at Professor Snape revealing that he was trying very hard to appear as if he wasn't listening to the conversation at hand. "-alone?"

The witch gave a slight nod of assent, and led Harry away from the mass of people. Harry didn't need to wait for her to begin speaking.

"I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is: it's Umbridge- I just know it."

"And what make you think that," Her voice was calm, but her tightly clenched fists gave away the illusion. After all, she wanted the _High Inquisitor_ gone almost as much as Harry did.

"Nico had been acting weird ever since breakfast, and right before class ended, Professor asked him to stay behind after class- along with Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle: her star students. Why would she have them stay over for anything other than getting her golden star of the day?"

Professor McGonagall's face seemed to fall.

"What?"

"Harry, we've already performed a head count in the Slytherin common room. They were all there. There is no way they could've been in two places at the same time."

"But-"

"No, Mister Potter. I know you have your differences with Draco, but what you're accusing him of is something very serious. Are you absolutely sure of what you saw?" Harry saw the hope rear its ugly head again.

His face was grim. "Yes."

Her face morphed again, and she swept her cloak away in her haste out of the room, the others following suit to get their rounds around the school completed.

"You are dismissed!"

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry heaved himself out of the Great Hall, ignoring the concerned looks trained on his back from his friends.

His belly was full from the food he ate quickly, shoveling and spooning the usually delicious food into his mouth and chewing robotically without actually tasting the food.

With all of the day's events out of the way (even if only temporary) Harry was finally able to let his mind wander. He thought about Sirius, and why he wouldn't respond to any of Harry's attempts at contact. His mind wandered to thoughts of Nico, and what the hell happened in that classroom. If anyone would ever come for him, and if he actually had a family at all. Only now, with everything in his life seemingly blurred, did Harry let the storm of emotions rain down on him, and actually _breathe._

 _In..._

 _Out_

 _In..._

 _Out_

Harry huffed out a heavy breath filled with everything he didn't want- didn't _need_ in his system right now. He pushed out the doubt, confusion, and guilt away to make room for everything that made him a Gryffindor. His friends, his courage, his family. But at the same time gathered up everything that made him a Slytherin. The overpowering need of self-preservation. The cunning.

Everything that would make damn sure that good-ol' Voldy mourned the day that he ever touched a Potter.

THIS IS A LINE

Draco ran through the wide, stony halls of Hogwarts, all of his pent up frustration and anxious fear expressing itself in short, harsh pants. He'd been too cocky with his belief that bringing Nico to his knees would be enough to ensure that his months of planning had not been in vain.

That was his first mistake.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley. The trio scared him more than he would ever allow himself to express. He didn't know what to do with them, and although he could talk himself around the world, when it came to the field work, he was stumped. And his father could see that; clear as day.

And the fear he held for his father was only a drop in the immense body of water that was the Dark Lord. Because he held not only his mother and father, but him.

Umbridge was his second mistake.

The woman unnerved Draco, being able to hand out cruel punishments with a smile and over-sweet demeanor. He was grateful to be on her nice list, and milked it for all it was worth. Hell, most of the plan was conjured up by Dolores herself, a sadistic mind all that was needed to successfully plan out the debilitating and kidnapping of a teenage boy.

And his third mistake, the most crippling of them all, and the one that was tearing him apart inside, was guilt.

The feel of his heart being physically weighed down until it falls to lay at his feet. The fear of it never being able to get back up the second it fell. The dark numbness that comes with death, without reprieve from the ever growing lump in his throat.

It was this ugly beast that reared itself up and continued rising with every second of evil it inflicted on others.

It was this ugly beast that led Draco to calmly stride up to Harry Potter (even though he we screaming inside) and do what he was forced to do.

THIS IS A LINE

Nico gasped out sharply, a vice-like grip slowly constricting his lungs; and pushing out one dry cough after another until Nico was left gasping, both arms curled around his chest. He let out a pained groan when it became obvious that whatever was holding back the harsh tide of hurt disappeared in his oblivion and was now back, full force.

He clenched his fists, ground his teeth, and bore down on his pain reserves.

Nico rolled out of the bed, barely being able to put his hands and knees between himself and the cold, stone floor. He was pleasantly surprised to realize that despite his pounding chest and head, the rest of his body was only sore; a dull throb seeming to match his heartbeat and resonate throughout his body.

Nico struggled to get to his feet, but finally found himself leaning against a stone wall as equally cold as the floor.

A bright light suddenly exploded in front of his eyes, and Nico found himself just as suddenly shutting them tight; the red light behind his eyelids bursting smaller firecrackers of pain in his head.

"Nico. Oh, God, Nico." Nico reluctantly opened his eyes to the bright light he heard the voice from.

Harry's voice.

Harry stood in the frame of the opened dungeon door, completing the usual trio of Him, Ron, and Hermione. He sagged in relief at the sight.

"Thank gods. Help me up." Harry jumped to action, quickly but gently slipping his arm under Nico's armpit, and resting the other on the small of his back. Nico shifted his weight to adjust to the sudden change of standing at his full height. "So. Where are we headed? I mean, what are you three all dolled up for?" Nico said, referring to the fully decked out Hogwarts uniform, cloaks and all. "Let's be honest with each other here. Now I don't exactly know the time-"

"Eleven thirty-five," Hermione added, matching Nico's low-powered death glare with a look that said _I'm helping so don't you start_.

"But," Nico continued as if he wasn't just interrupted. "I'm pretty sure it must be dark out if you need that." a short nod to Hermione and Ron's illuminated wands. "There." Nico shot a petulant look at Hermione.

"We are going on a little field trip," Harry said, sporting a manic smile that Nico had seen on the faces of campers during war hours and times of crisis. A smile that Nico could get behind.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Dumbledore showed no sign of alarm when a young man swung into his office from one of the large glass windows outside, wielding a glowing bronze sword.

The aged old headmaster didn't flinch when a jet black horse with the wingspan that doubled that of his desk strode into the room, covering the boy as he sat down in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, a look of urgency on his face.

Yes, Dumbledore only smiled as he listened, rapt, to the young man's tale of how and why he now found himself in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office and that he meant no harm.

Only when the dark-haired child adjacent to him gave him a look full of pleading did he finally speak, smile widening as he pointed out of his smashed window.

"My, you just missed them," Dumbledore said, falsely apologetic at the look of surprised defeat on the young man's face when he saw four skeletal horses fly out into the night.

 ** _Soooo? Dumbledore is a dick? Yay or nay?_**


	16. Chapter 15

**_I know, I know. I'm a disappointment for constantly giving you guys late chapters. I'm sorry. But, I did try to make this chapter a bit longer than my others, and I hope you enjoy it._**

Nico slid of the skeletal horse in a single, fluid movement, the others around him doing the same. He should've been more careful: go slow to consider his injuries, but at that point he felt no pain. The adrenaline coursing through his veins made sure of that.

Yes, Nico was riding the adrenaline rush. He could hear it in his increased breathing and speeding heart rate. His limbs tingled with the feeling; the hormone mixing with his blood and making his ADHD go through the roof.

The group consisting of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville all crammed themselves into the compact elevator that would lead them to level nine of the Ministry, and eventually to Harry's godfather.

Nico released a soft sigh. A small, hidden part of him expected an immediate brawl the second they arrived, and the lack of exactly that somehow made him feel something less than relief.

The ride was short, and awkward.

All seven occupants of the elevator refused to look at each other, save for furtive, tense looks that only expressed just how pressing their situation actually was.

They could easily be expelled from Hogwarts, but it paled against the possibility of trial and sentence for breaking into the damn Ministry of Magic!

A cheery ding rang out as the elevator reached its destination, and stopped to allow its passengers to file out.

Harry looked around at the grim faces staring back at him and gestured to corridor labelled _Department of Mysteries_ with a lame wave. "Well. Let's go."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"What do you mean 'my'?! My cousin, which I've been searching for for the better half of a year, has just gone off to fight an almighty Dark Lord with some kids who've never been in a battle in their entire life _and_ with prior injuries," Percy took a deep breath, and reigned back the need to punch the smiling old man in his already crooked nose. "And all you have to say is 'my'? _Please_ tell me you know where they were headed."

The man's face lit up. "Yes! I do in fact know where they are headed."

He waited.

"Are you planning on telling me where?"

If possible, the senior citizen's crooked smile seemed to grow ever so mischievous. "Of course not," Percy's face scrunched up as he prepared to speak, but a bony hand in his face silenced him. "I'm going to take you there."

"And how do you expect to do that. They must be at least forty minute ahead of us at this point."

"Follow me."

Percy stood and braced himself to follow the "eccentric" headmaster, giving a short pat to Blackjack's soft mane. "I'll be back soon- with Nico."

Blackjack neighed, adamant. _As long as he doesn't ride me, I don't care. If he does: you owe me all the donuts in Olympus._

Percy laughed at that. "Sure, bud."

 _That had better been a yes._

"It is," Percy's smile slipped of his face. "I just need to make an important call first."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

 _I know you're here Sirius, just throw me a bone and I'll find you._

Harry clenched his fists in frustration, angry tears threatening to rise up in a revolt and fall. He blinked them back.

He knew Sirius was here, he'd seen it in his dreams and thought about it when he was awake. He just had to find him. But when they had been roaming the Department of Mysteries for what seemed like hours, the doubt came sneaking in.

 _What if he's already dead, and they just dumped his body somewhere for him to find- somewhere that's not here._

 _Maybe Dumbledore was right, everything was just Voldemort trying to get inside your head. You should leave._

 _Would you really endanger your friends for a single man? Huh. Great friend you are!_

"Harry?" Ginny was giving him a strange look.

"Hmm?"

Now everyone's eyes were on him. Ron broke the silence.

"We were telling you that Sirius isn't in this room. That we should go." Ron gestured to the open iron doors that usually sealed the Planet Room shut.

"No! We can't just leave him here!" Harry turned to look at Hermione, but she refused to meet his eyes: the same with Neville and Ginny. "Guys! He's still here; I know he is- I can feel it!"

Luna rose her hand as if she was in class. "Harry-"

He rounded on her. "No! No, we are not leaving!"

She smiled at Harry. Not a sympathetic smile like the one Nico was giving him (although it was twisted as if he didn't quite know how to do so) but an honest-to-God smile.

"What I was _going_ to say was, did you see anything else from your dream other than Sirius being tortured? Any iconic marks? Signs?"

"Uhm," Harry never forgot the dream, never really could get the sound of his godfather screaming out for him out of his mind. So dredging up the last wisps of his most recent dream was not a feat.

"It's mostly dark, but there are some glowing blue… lanterns… on shelves behind them," Harry sighed. "I can't really see anything else other than Sirius and Voldemort."

"Hm. Must've been the nargles," Luna mumbled to herself under her breath, oddly calm about their dire situation.

"Wait. Glowing orbs?" Hermione spoke up curiously. "That must be the Hall of Prophecy. Those glowing orbs are all prophecies." She snapped. "Sirius must be there!"

"Then why are we still talking about this! Sirius can be dying!"

Harry ran through the open door of the Planet Room without a single glance behind him.

"Dammit, Harry," Nico cursed under his breath, following the others as they sped after Harry to the Hall of Prophecy.

Nico hated prophecies.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico flinched at the crack of another killing curse shot at him; the sickly green light softly kissing him with its heat as it dashed across the room.

Shortly after Harry had gotten hold of his prophecy, a dozen of Voldemort's masked 'Death Eaters' had sprung upon them; the one in front demanding them hand over the prophecy.

Harry and the others shot spells at the shelves around them, and attempted to exit the Hall in the midst of the confusion, but only Harry, Hermione, and Neville were able to reach the exit and seal it off.

So Nico was now currently sealed in the room with Ron, Ginny, Luna, and three other death eaters, the others long gone in their haste to find Harry, and with him, the prophecy.

He had no visual on his allies, but their shouts of curses and spells hinted Nico on their locations. But what he did know for sure was that as a lone demigod/wizard with only the most basic wizarding skills, no wand, and no sword, he was basically screwed.

"Nico?"

He froze. Looked to the left. The right. Nothing.

But directly behind him, was Percy; confused face shimmering in what he could only recognize as an Iris message.

And in that moment, Nico forgave Percy for everything. The manticore, the torture he had put Nico through by being unknowingly, and painfully oblivious to his feelings; heck, at that moment, Nico even forgave Percy for that one time he tried to set Nico up on a blind date. Because he was _right there_ , and no matter how much Nico lied to himself as he sat alone in the common room at night, a constant mantra of ' _He isn't coming. You don't need him.'_ he couldn't stanch the hope he felt every time the owls flew in with mail in the morning.

"Percy?" He smiled. "Man is it good to see you."

Nico could almost feel the worry on Percy's face. "Are you hurt? I'm coming to get you, but you have to meet us in the middle, okay?" Nico nodded. "The old man says we're going to the 'Death Chamber', so meet us there. We'll be there soon."

"Okay. But Percy-"

 _You have_ twenty _more seconds_

"Sorry Nico, talk later. Be careful!"

The message disconnected.

Nico calculated his chances of winning the battle he was about to jump into. If he were to use the resources he needed to be able to reach the Death Chamber, and Percy safely, he would only have a limited amount of time to fight before he crashed from the adrenaline rush.

He stood slowly, not wanting to alert his enemies to his position, as he was currently unarmed. So he made his own weapons.

 _C'mon guys: I need your help._

Nico levelled his hand out in front of him; palms up: and chanted.

 _Friends of lost and past,_

 _rise now and fight, hold your swords and shields at last._

 _To my command will you lay waste,_

 _only in battle shall you be disposed to taste._

The ground rumbled ominously, the prophecies that weren't already broken falling off the shelves and shattering; futures and fates crumbling under the hand of Nico's powers.

A gaping chasm opened up in front of Nico, the great stomping of the gathering army emanating out of the fissure to be heard throughout the Hall.

One skeletal hand popped out of the stone, followed by others, all fighting to pull themselves out of the depths to serve their king's call. The groans of their struggle mixed with the almost deafening screams of the undead in the Fields of Punishment, and the angered wails from The Pit.

Nico's army sorted themselves out to stand in front of him, and bowed; a practiced move that gave them a look of a wave of metal. Their armor mixed together as one, as they prepared to fight. At least thirty men under the command of one voice.

"Ad signa! Ad aciem- celeriter!" Nico commanded. _Fall in! Form battle lines- quickly!_ "Parati! Oppugnare! Meus caparum Romanus- Ad Victoria!" _Ready! Charge! My Roman troops! To victory!_

"Vivat romae!" _Long live Rome!_

Nico stood in the center of the troops, using their swords and bodies as the shield Nico didn't have, but needed if he planned to ever make it to Percy.

The ghostly warriors plowed down everything in the way of their master's destination, whether it be a shelf, or a Death Eater. But Nico did have to watch out for any of his friends, so their wouldn't be crushed by the sandals of his shields.

They made quick work of the Hall, making it out in at least six minutes. The Planet room was still an obstacle though, seeing as it was the only room connected to the Death Chamber.

It was empty, the only evidence of anyone being in the room at all came down to the broken planets at his feet, and a single Death Eater lying on the floor; its mask skewed.

Nico gave a short sigh of relief, although he didn't have much time for anything; his regiment only stopping briefly before continuing its march over to the adjacent room.

He was so close. So close to being able to see Percy again, and fight with him in battle (something he refused to admit aloud.) He forced his way out from the middle of the infantry, and stood at the front with the soldiers behind him forming a crescent around him; rounded shields raised in preparation of the raging battle on the other side of the door.

Nico twisted the door handle, and pushed.

He'd never seen any battle like it.

Beams of multicolored lights flooded the room; racing from one end to the other. And the fight wore on, some fighting in cloaks, and some in your run-of-the-mill jeans and a t-shirts.

He easily spotted Harry and Neville, attempting to stay afloat as the deluge of Death Eaters came at them, no longer bothered with the shattered prophecy on the floor, but with the revenge they felt the need to exact on the two for their inevitable punishment by the hands of their lord.

Nico saw Luna and Ron, Hermione and Ginny… but no Percy.

He turned to his battalion, hand raised high as he gestured to the chaos below them.

"Noto - Animus Attentus" _Listen closely,_ "Gladium stringe, pila tolle! Impetus- et defendi ad parati!" _Draw your sword, pick up your pilum! Attack- and defend at the ready!_

Nico let the men push past him, and join the battle; holding down the fort for him so he could find Percy before the high he was on wore off.

His eyes roved over the room, looking for Percy. Nico looked for anything that could be him. His hair, his beaded necklace, a bright orange t-shirt, his sword… wait.

Nico caught a gleam out of the corner of his eye, a faint, golden glow that always seemed to envelope the weapons at camp.

Celestial bronze.

His head snapped to the direction of the shine, and locked eyes with the one person who he'd been waiting for ever since (and possibly before) he'd received the Iris Message.

Percy Fucking Jackson.

"Stupefy!" Draco's voice rang out in the chamber, a scared little screech that seemed to annoy his fellow Death Eaters almost as much as it annoyed Nico.

He turned, to face the spell, the electric blue light seeming to come at him in slow motion. Nico closed his eyes and braced for impact.

But there was none.

"Luna!" Nico's eyes popped open the second he heard the impact. Her eyes were closed, and Nico had to rack his brain for all of the times he had heard the spell's name while daydreaming in Snape's class, eventually figuring out that the spell had only knocked her out. His eyes sought out Draco's until he looked at him, and nodded. _Thank you_ his eyes said. Thank you for not using the same curses your colleagues used; thank you for not killing her.

He gathered her up in his arms and laid her down just inside the Planet Room before heading over to Percy, not even given a chance to greet him before being pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

Percy released him and held him at arm's length to check him for injuries.

"You okay?"

"Yup."

They stared at each other; Nico mentally noting that Percy looked like he hadn't slept in days, while Percy tutted at Nico's obvious weight loss.

"You look old-"

"You lost weight-"

They stared.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As much as your reunion is quite touching, there are more _pressing_ matters." a knobby, gnarled finger pointed at the scene before them. Harry was chasing after a wildly cackling woman, firing off spell after spell as she screeched out her taunts.

"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? You need to mean them, Potter. You need to really want to cause pain — to enjoy it — righteous anger won't hurt me for long — I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson — Crucio!"

Nico let out a panicked noise in the back of his throat when Harry just barely dodged the curse, and disappeared from his sight.

"He'll kill her," Nico breathed, looking wide eyed to Dumbledore.

"Not if we get there first," Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly, as he ran after the two, his light tone of voice betraying the promise of a fight in his eyes.

He exchanged a look with Percy, and followed.

"Shit."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Harry ran, legs pounding hard against the cracked tile of the wrecked Ministry. He didn't notice the tears running down his face, or the way that his breaths came out more like sobs. The only thing he noticed was that that _bitch_ was still alive, when Sirius wasn't- but not for long.

"Whooo. Why isn't this fun! Maybe I should kill friends of your more often?"

"Aaaah! Shut up! I'm going to kill you, so just shut the fuck up!" Harry howled, almost animalistic in the way he sounded.

"Not quite." Harry would almost describe the feeling as hitting a brick wall, but there was none. It was just his entire body, his _being_ recoiling from the man who appeared in front of him.

"Voldemort," He said, disgust dripping from his voice.

"Master! You will call him master!" Bellatrix crowed from her place behind Voldemort. Hiding.

"I think that's enough. Harry- behind me."

A force pulled him back, behind Dumbledore, almost taking down Nico and another boy with the force in which he bumped into him.

Dumbledore moved forward, cloak dragging behind him as he pulled his wand out. "It is foolish for you to come here tonight, Tom. The aurors are on their way."

"By which time I shall be gone. And you… shall be dead."

Harry couldn't track the speed in which it happened.

They were flung back into one of the flume network chimneys, Harry letting loose an angered huff when Bellatrix disappeared inside one of them, the green fire surrounding her until there was nothing left.

In the short period in which this happened, Dumbledore and Voldemort were already in the midst of a fight, unspoken spells being projected at one another without seconds of space. He heard Nico groan somewhere behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from the show of power in front of him.

The two spells met in the middle, throwing their owners back a few feet, and mixing to make a sickly greenish color.

The Dark Lord took the split second breach in Dumbledore's spell to cast his own curse and breath life into it, animating a fiery snake that easily towered over the Ministry's water fountain.

The Headmaster slashed at its throat, its howl of pain the only warning given to its master as if fell apart.

Harry watched, rapt, as Dumbledore grasped the fire. The flames roared back to their caster, nipping at his clothing.

Without giving him a chance to breathe, The older wizard wrapped his student up in water, effectively smothering any traces of flame, while sealing him inside.

It didn't hold up for long.

He struggled, forcing his way out of the waves.

He shot back immediately, Dumbledore following suit, although it really was in unison.

Harry looked away for a second.

The atrium exploded in shards of glass, the noise of the windows shattering at once ear-splitting.

The fragments morphed into tendrils shooting up to pierce the air.

Harry raised a hand to protect himself from the sand that came rushing past Dumbledore.

Voldemort's victorious smile was knocked abruptly off his face, when he was hit with the realization that Dumbledore was not in fact dead, and disappeared in a cyclone of wind; churning up the sand around him.

It was calm, the sand floating down to settle around them. Voldemort was gone. They had wo-

The pain was unexpected.

Harry couldn't help the low keening of pain that was punched out of him. He blacked out for a moment: from the pain, but when he could see again, he wasn't in the atrium. There were flashes. His worst memories relived in seconds; his brain skimming over what he could only label as the worst moments of his life.

 _His mother and father lying dead next to his crib._

 _Cedric. Dead._

 _Sirius. Dead_

And he'd killed every one of them. Because of his damn existence, almost every person he loved wound up dead. And it was going to happen again and again; all because he was _selfish._ Just like Voldemort.

He lied just like him.

Hurt others just like him.

 _KILLED_ just like _him._

Harry was a damn mirror image.

Harry was Voldem-

 _It isn't how you are alike: it's how you are not._

The voice floated to him in his haze; reminding.

Reminding him that he saved people. Harry saved people in ways that no one else could. And he would do it all over again; because he _loved._ Unlike Voldemort.

He apologized unlike him.

He helped unlike him.

He befriended other just like him.

Harry was nothing like him.

Because Harry was _Harry_.

And he felt bad for Tom.

He felt bad for a child that grew up with no love; no friends. Harry felt bad for, even now, a man who couldn't give love, or feel it. He felt bad for the empty shell of what he wanted to be- because Tom Marvolo Riddle was never going to find that man.

Especially not in him.

The epiphany rose up inside him and swelled; burning away every dark mark Voldemort left on him, and in its wake, leaving the one thing Harry Potter would always pride himself on- love.

 _ **YAY! Happy times! Percy is with Nico, and Voldy is gone. I do have an announcement though: from here on out, we only have ONE more chapter, and then the Epilogue, so... yeah. My little smol fic is all grown up!**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**Sorry for another late chapter, I wanted to write it, but I just wasn't feeling anything, and I knew that if I forced myself to write, I'd just spit out a crappy chapter. I just wanted to say that although this chapter is late, I**_ _ **poured my heart into it, and really like the way it turned out so... don't judge to harshly... please?**_

Harry wasn't sure of just how long he had been down for the count, only that the hand in his was beginning to get really sweaty. He shifted, trying to wake his aching body. It was almost as if while his mind was awake, his body was not yet there.

He hated it.

"Harry?" a shift. "I thinks he's waking up. Harry? C'mon: wake up."

He opened one eye slowly, and quickly shut it tight with a groan. Too bright.

"Sorry. Sorry."

The light dimmed to a faint glow, and Harry opened both eyes carefully. The infirmary was empty, save for Hermione, Ron, Nurse Pomphrey, and Nico, who lying stock-still on the infirmary beside him.

"What'd I miss?" Harry forced himself to a sitting position, voice hoarse and wavering. God, he needed a cold glass of water.

"Nothing much, just that the Death Eaters who attacked us in the Ministry have been captured and sent to Azkaban, Ginny had a broken ankle, Neville a broken nose, Luna was paralyzed for a few days, Hermione had to take ten potions a day to treat the curse that Dolohov bastard shot at her, and Nico hasn't woken up since we first returned to Hogwarts. We good?" Ron spoke sarcastically, trying to keep his voice light, although they all knew things weren't good. Ron was skirting around the fact that Sirius was dead, and Voldemort wasn't. That Bellatrix got away, and he couldn't do anything about it.

And things weren't good, but Harry had to pretend like they were, because even with all that they had lost, it counted as a victory, so He needed to act as such.

"Great to know, but I think I'm going to turn in for another week-long nap. The semester's almost over, and I'd like to consider going back to Privet Drive a dream."

"Alright Harry," Hermione and Ron gathered their things as Harry turned his back towards them. "Get some rest I guess."

Harry waited for their footsteps to fade, and the door to shut before turning back over with a sigh. He actually was tired; who knew lying could wear a person down?

"I don't know… I guess some people?"

It was the same guy Dumbledore took with him to the battle. He was inevitably taller than Harry (who had always been smaller than his age mates- but is now growing steadily) with the same green eyes and dark hair as him. There was a scabbard on his thigh, but his attire was anything but armor.

The faded orange t-shirt paired with equally faded blue jeans and worn down sandals made for an extremely casual dress.

"Who are you?"

He looked surprised for a second before an unreadable expression flitted over his features. "I'm Percy. Nico's cousin? He hasn't talked about me at all?"

At Harry's shake of the head, his frown deepened. "Nico never said he had family, and as much as we doubted it, we never pushed him to open up." He almost looked hurt.

"Well, I am; and I'm taking him home," a pause. "A lot of people are waiting for him- people he doesn't expect to be."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

 _Nico was in his room. His_ real _room._

 _Not the room he had in Cabin 13 that was really only a half-assed piece of work based on the stereotypes Camp made of Hades. Or the room that he refurbished (alone) back when the war had just finished, and he was still considered welcome. Well at least before the whispers of_ ungrateful, evil, hellspawn _began circulating again._

 _No, Nico was in the Underworld. He could feel it in the way his skin tingled in the warmth of the sun rays of Blest, and the fires of Tartarus. He ran his hand over his vast collection of McDonald's toys, and waste bin overflowing with the receipts of his visits, clearing away the thin layer of dust that had settled over them in his absence. If it wasn't for the very obvious shadow near the door, Nico probably wouldn't have noticed his father._

" _Father." He lowered his head out of respect, and would have kneeled if it wasn't for his father's quick shake of the head._

" _That is unnecessary. Sit. I only ask you listen to what needs to be said."_

 _Nico scoffed. Only Hades would invite him to sit in his own room._

 _He sat, and waited for the god speak; it wasn't his job to make the conversation easier for the man- he had as many if not more problems with social interaction._

" _So… son. How was school?"_

 _Really?_

" _It was different."_

" _Good. Good."_

" _Uh huh."_

" _..."_

 _He sighed internally. Dammit, Dad._

" _Why did you send me to Harry Potter?"_

 _Hades tensed. He had to be expecting the conversation, and knew they were going to get there eventually, so why the weird expression on his face?_

" _How did you know?"_

 _Nico's lips curled in a mirthless smirk. "Don't know why it took me so long to realize that this 'Voldemort' character was number one on your hitlist- I mean, it was only a matter of time before you sent me after him. I just assumed that you would at least have the balls to tell me first."_

" _Now you listen to me," Nico watched his father's pale fingers twitch. "I am still your father, and I don't know if being away at that school has led you to forget it, but I haven't and I demand respect."_

" _I was on a job! And no, I haven't forgotten that I am your son, no matter how illegitimate you make me feel," Nico cocked his head in mock confusion. "Although I guess Bia and I both are, aren't we?"_

 _Nico saw the hit coming. He knew it would happen even before he brought up two of the three most important women in his life._

 _He saw it in the red of Hades face, in the tightly balled fists and locked jaw._

 _But at least he had the decency to use the flat of his palm._

 _The tension in Hades immediately dissolved at the realization of what he had done._

" _Nico I-"_

" _Save it." Nico knew that he wasn't actually with his father in body, that he was only a projection while he slept, but I was the thought that count. That, and the stinging of his cheek. "Let's just be done here. Any questions? No? Okay," Nico pivoted on his heel, heading towards the door. Maybe he'd go talk to Charles and Silena- maybe Phoebe?_

" _Nico!" he stopped. "Please, I'm sorry. I just- your mother- Bianca. I swear it was an accident. I wasn't in control of myself!"_

" _Then who was, huh? You know what- I'm done. Say what you need to now, 'cuz I'm leaving."_

 _Nico looked on with red-rimmed eyes and flared nostrils at his father, watched him deflate with a sigh._

" _I can bring back Harry Potter's godfather. It is my kingdom, and he is your friend," He looked at Nico with hopeful eyes, mentally holding out Sirius' soul as an olive branch._

 _Nico slapped it away, heading for the door once more._

" _Leave it. That's the reason this whole mess started isn't it? People not staying dead? Not separating ourselves from the living when they leave? No more."_

 _And he left; to where, he wasn't really sure._

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"So what you're telling me is… you and Nico are form an entirely different world?" Harry's head hurt.

"Haha. I guess; I was thinking the same when I first found out about you guys," Percy replied easily, relaxed smile on his face.

"Nico should be happy he has such a large family. Why isn't he?"

The smile dropped from Percy's face, and he leaned closed to Harry's bed; speaking in a conspiratorial tone. "Do you know anything about Greek mythology?"

Harry frowned slightly; trying to surface any memories or knowledge about what Nico's life could be like. "Not a bloody thing."

"Well, there are thousands of Greek gods and goddesses, but there are only twelve major ones. My father and Nico's father are both part of that twelve."

"Why would Nico hate that? I mean, I'm pretty sure I'd be happy if my parents were major gods."

Percy held up a hand, putting a stop to Harry's misconceptions. "One. Nico and I are demigods, meaning that we only have _one_ godly parent. The other one- mom or dad- is human."

"Who's Nico's godly parent?"

"Nico's _father_ ," Percy seemed to brace himself. "Is Hades: god of the underworld: home of the dead."

The hairs on Harry's arms rose. The room felt different, seemed to grow darker for a second before fading away. He felt a sudden energy rush through him, and he noticed Percy shiver to his right. Wierd.

"So what," Harry paused, shaking off the sudden change in atmosphere. "Is Nico's father- is Ha-"

"-shh. Names are like calling cards for the gods. They hold power."

"So is he a terrible person, or do people just hate having anything to do with death?" Harry asked, whispering for some reason, feeling like the first years when they attempt to speak of Voldemort to their peers.

Percy's face was grim "Yes."

"Why does Nico get hate for that, I mean it's his family business, and from what I've seen of him, Nico is nothing like Had- his father."

"… Well…"

"What?"

"There are people who think Hades- and Nico- are bad luck, and that those around Nico die."

Harry recoiled, glaring at Percy accusingly.

"Not me! Never. Just… at camp, Nico's always felt… different than the others; unwelcome," Percy looked to be on the verge of tears. "I've told him multiple times that he is, that people will warm up to him and he'll find a way to make it work but, he won't believe me."

"You need to make him then," Harry said with a set jaw, making everything sound so easy. "Show him that there are people who care about him, and force him to see that he is welcome; I found a way to make it work."

But how do I show him? He hates going to camp, and… I can't show him the people I know he wants to see most…" Percy trailed off at the extremely annoyed look on Harry's face.

"Nico doesn't need a bunch of people to give him meaningless words, Percy. He only needs you to tell him everything he needs to hear. Show him with _words_ , Percy. Show him what the people who can't be there for him want to give him," Harry stressed the words, an emotion on his face that was too old for him. "Tell him what we at Hogwarts are too weak to say."

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico forced another book into the battered suitcase Harry gave him to pack his belongings into. He found it unusual that he actually received goodbyes and farewell gifts. But what he found more peculiar was the fact that he was packing every single one of them into the borrowed case, and that there was a tightness in his chest that he refused to acknowledge.

So he packed silently, cramming in his Gryffindor cloak and uniform along with the scarf Hermione gave him ("Oh just take it already: I can always buy another one.") all the while slipping Ron's novelty chocolate frog card depicting Godric Gryffindor into his pant pocket, and placing Luna's nargle-repelling bottle cap necklace carefully around his neck.

It was time to go.

With a final look around, Nico left the boy's dorm, and a single folded piece of paper on the common room couch that still looked red as ever (and damn did that hurt like a bitch) before closing the door behind him.

He'd already said his goodbyes, and made his rounds; not a single excuse still present to keep him around. No matter how much he wanted there to be.

He and Percy met up at the main doors of Hogwarts before separating, Percy on Blackjack, and Nico planning on shadow traveling back to camp.

And Nico tore his eyes away from the faces peering out at him from the foggy Hogwarts window, nodding to Percy in a way that signaled he was ready to go; Hades knew his voice wouldn't last a second.

 _ **The ending made me cry writing it, so I hope you did too. Nico is sad and now I'm sad too. I know, I'm a sadist. Or possibly a masochist seeing as how I could of easily made the chapter end on a happy note. But anyhow, this is technically the last chapter, and the next is an epilogue so... bye for now?**_


	18. Epilogue

Percy crashed onto his bed with a _woosh_. The most recent deluge of new campers had him swamped in bouts of training and teaching. And Nico was most definitely not helping to clear his worried mind.

Percy would be lying to himself if he said that Nico taking off barely a week after returning to camp surprised him in the slightest. But at the same time he would also be lying to himself if he refused the feeling of relief he felt after Nico left, followed by the crushing feeling of guilt that seemed to engulf him immediately after.

And it wasn't as if Percy didn't want Nico around- hell, he'd practically begged the teen to stick around whenever he had the chance.

" _Nico please. Do you really believe that I'm the only one who cares about you? Who wants you around?"_

" _Hazel's obligated to care; she's family."_

" _And that's it? She's it?"_

" _Well yeah, I mean, who else would there be?"_

Percy deflated further. He had tried- gods know he did- to show Nico how much he cared for him. They all did.

Reyna gave him important jobs around New Rome to make him feel needed, Jason took him outside of camp every night to have fun, and Hazel slept over on Thursday in hopes of making it a tradition Nico could look forward to.

And for a while they thought it was working, thought the time they were spending with Nico was slowing cracking him out of his shell and giving him reasons to stick around, but as always Percy found a way to FUBAR.

Now, just let him repeat himself: he tried. Percy tried _so_ godsdamn hard to stick to Harry's advice and just tell Nico everything he wanted him to hear.

Yet it didn't work out. Nico probably hated him more now than ever…

 _Percy several deep breaths. 'He's your cousin Perce; it shouldn't be this hard. Just go' The voice inside his head- Annabeth's- supplied easily._

 _With those words of pure courage, he charged up to Nico, who was (at the time) picking quietly at the small amount of food on his plate._

" _Nico. We need to talk," Percy said determinedly, not realizing the fault in his words until Nico face burst aflame, and the muffled giggles of nearby campers could be heard._

" _I mean… I… need to talk… with you… converse. Yup. Platonically. Or, more as cousins, beca-"_

" _Shut up, Percy. You're really not helping," Nico stood and wiped his hands on his pants briefly. "Well- lead the way."_

 _A short while later, they could be seen in a clearing within the forest. Their swords both hung from their respective scabbards, and the air was still around them._

 _THIS IS A LINE_

"… _who else would there be?"_

 _Looking back, Percy should've stopped there._

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico readjusted the thinning blanket around his shoulders and muzzled further in Mrs. O'Leary's coat.

He couldn't sleep.

Personally, he had no idea why. The conditions were ideal: a slight, cold, breeze, the faint sound of the city around him (yet not overwhelmingly present), and a perfect view of the stars above him. (Ironic how the realm of the man who hates him as much as he hates himself could be so beautiful to him.)

So there he was, hellhound at his back, eyes up to the stars, and an indescribable loneliness about him. He palmed the bottle-cap necklace around him unconsciously. _Hmm. Quiet._

Before he saw the deer.

It was wispy, an electric blue stag that immediately reminded him of Bianca. Not that he didn't already have her at the forefront of his mind.

The stag seemed to pause at the sight of him, before moving closer, and beginning to speak:

"Hey Nico. It's Harry," There was some mumbling in the background, and Nico's heart leapt at the sound of the familiar voices of Ginny and Neville. "Well not exactly- it's a patronus- you know; spent enough time in classes to figure it out."

Nico chuckled lowly. _Like I was ever awake enough to._

"Anywho, just calling- air quotes- to check in. Wanted to know how you lot were doing. And Mrs. McGonagall totally misses you- just saying."

 _Liar. You don't have to lie to make me feel better._

"Mrs Weasley too. Also Fred an-"

"Bloody hell, Harry!" Ron voice suddenly cut through the 'voice message' "Just say you miss him!"

"I was getting to it! You missed him too1"

"Yeah, but at least I don't lie about keeping some of his stuff around!"

"Would you shut up!" Muffled arguing. "But like I was saying. I miss you; we all do- even Snape, heartless as he seems," Harry's voice was strained, and Nico cleared his throat a few times out of sympathy, though he knew Harry wasn't ill.

"Things've changed a bit around here- though it's nothing you need to worry about. Hope you can come by soon; it'd be great to see you."

Nico's heart clenched slightly at the lilt in Harry's voice; he was nearing the end of his message.

"Say hey to Percy for me, and all of your other friends: it'd be neat to meet them. PS: Whatever Percy told you, just know that we all back you: don't be a stranger."

And with that the stag fell silent, and Harry's voice was cut off from Nico. The luminescent messenger retreated into the trees, glow slowly fading a sit returned to its sender.

 _THIS IS A LINE_

Nico returned to Camp Half-Blood an hour later, making his first impression by scaring an unfortunate thirteen-year-old heading back to his cabin after a sweet midnight snack.

Why?

Because Nico was done running, and searching for a new home. He could never hope to have what he had with his mama and Bi. They were gone, but now he had Hazel and Jason and Percy and Reyna, and they were more than enough for him.

Because his home was with them, and he'd finally found it.

 _ **WHOOOOOOO! *Throws confetti* This is the end and we have finally crossed the finish line together! Nico is home, and everyone is happy!**_


End file.
